Caption: From left, Rowan Smith, Tricia Fuller, Lorraine Maggary and Mick Maggary after Georgie Choo’s win in the Bob Vernon Memorial Final. (Photo: Just Greyhound Photos)
Capalaba Club Wrap with PAT McLEOD
The major highlight for Capalaba in October was the staging of the $60,000 Con Sciacca TAB Capalaba Cup (Group 3).
Stella trainer Tony Brett and his team overcame an emotional week, with the sudden death of Tony’s cousin, Raymond Johnson, 55, in Cairns, to lead home winner, and a kennel favourite, Milligan.
He just edged out $2.20 favourite, Sacred Stance (Michelle Sultana), the recent Healesville Cup victor, with outsider Tira Mira (Cliff Houston) running a sensational race to claim third.
Gold Coast-based trainer Gary Mackay’s Fernando Grand ($14) took out the Cup Consolation in 19.50 from Champagne Jazzy and Bogie Fury.
There were so many great stories to come out of Capalaba Cup day, but a highlight was Georgie Choo’s win in the Bob Vernon Memorial Final.
As the $3 chance saluted ahead of Ninetymile Queen (Bianca Whitford) and Caramel Queen (Jedda Cutlack), Tricia Fuller (who trained the winner), officially hung up her lead.
“That’s it,” she said softly. “No more training. Too many other things to do. I am also moving from a two and our half acre place at Park Ridge (near Brisbane) to a house block at Forrest Lake.”
But what a great way to bow out – winning one of Capalaba club’s most respected races at the club where she is part of a successful, but small, hard-working team.
Tricia was an ‘accidental’ trainer. She stepped into the role ‘briefly’ when her partner, Glenn Smith, passed asway with bowel cancer more than three years ago.
Initially she gave herself three months, taking on three young dogs that she and Glenn had bred. But they were to be the last!
But one thing led to another and she found herself still with ‘one or two’ to look after. But with work commitments at both Ipswich and Capalaba clubs growing she knew her training says were numbered.
“I just do not have the time to put into the dogs,” she says. “And I am not a confident trainer. I second guess myself every step of the way with training dogs … whether I am doing the right thing.
“I helped out a lot with the Glenn, but it was never my intention to be ‘The Trainer’, so I didn’t really pay enough attention to some of the finer details.
“To bow out with such a great win is fantastic, but even that came about by accident. I told the owners (who include my son Rowan) that a heat of the Bob Vernon was coming up and I thought Georgie Choo was going well enough to put in.
“Of course, by the time the heat cam around I said to the owners that ‘he can’t win’. So that just goes to show what a bad judge I am and how I lack confidence in what I am doing.
“My daughter Hayley is also involved in the industry. She helps out in the kennels on race day at Capalaba.
“I love greyhounds. They are beautiful animals and I will still be working in the kennels at Ipswich so I can still give as many pats as I want – I just won’t have to get up at 5am to let greyhounds out for a wee.”
*****
The hard-working staff and volunteers at the Capalaba Greyhound Racing Club do so much more for the industry than stage race meetings.
Case-in-point was the recent Queensland Sighthounds Association Christmas party at the boutique straight track.
The association have held their Christmas celebration at the track for several years and a highlight is the 100m sprint, with the club setting up a 100m drag ‘lure’ (a white plastic bag) on the race track.
Capalaba operations manager Erin Cameron says the day is a major success, in more ways than one.
“The association members and their dogs, about 40 of them, had a really great time,” she said. “Everyone loves the sprint race where you have dogs of all shapes and sizes racing down the track.
“A great benefit of this day is more people outside the greyhound industry get a better understanding of what we do. Our greyhounds race by sight … the same as these dogs do at their Christmas party.”
*****
As Chase goes to print flooding has again become a major issue right cross eastern Australian. It comes at a time when the Capalaba club has sent out a ‘massive appreciation’ to Racing Queensland, the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission and their own track manager Trevor McSherry.
According to Erin Cameron significant infrastructure working is continuing at the club in the wake of flooding earlier this year.
“Trevor has the track in amazing condition,” she said. “He all but lives here, ensuring that the dogs race on the best surface possible.
“But there are several other pieces of infrastructure, new and improved, that have been done and continue to happen through assistance from RQ and QRIC.
“A safety rail, an interior staircase, all sorts of things that make Capalaba a better and safer facility for the dogs and the people at the track.”
*****
Where else would be on Melbourne Cup day than the Capalaba Greyhound Racing Club. The club’s Capelbourne Cup may not quite stop the nation, but it certainly has risen in popularity in recent years for participants and visitors.
RQ advises that the non-Tab race meeting (of course on Tuesday, November 1) will carry normal Class 5 prizemoney.
The Capelbourne Cup is open to all greyhounds that have started at Capalaba at least once in 2022. Total prizemoney for the race is $6,500.
The order of entry is by the fastest run times in 2022. The final qualifying meeting was on Sunday, October 23.
Capelbourne Cup Invitational Prizemoney:
1st $4225; 2nd $1300; 3rd $650; 4th $325.
*****
Another highlight of the November racing calendar at Capalaba will be the heats (November 20) and final (November 27) of the Derby and Futurity.
The age restricted races are pitch-perfect for the straight track, with its attraction for the race schooling of young dogs.
