Caption: Tom Weldon with promising youngster Aussie Sands … his first winner as an owner trainer in more than 30 years. (Photo: Just Greyhound Photos)

Weekly wrap of racing at Ipswich with MIKE HILL

WITH the curtain falling on another highly successful Brisbane Winter Carnival that attracted the best of the best sprinters and stayers from across the country, Ipswich now steps up for a series of feature events in coming weeks.

Some of the region’s most promising young sprinters will strut their stuff in four absorbing heats of the $45,000 Young Guns (520m) on Saturday night, while a classy field will contest the $18,500 Grand Prix (732m) in a big night of racing.

It’s already been a big few days at Ipswich for two trainers – Tom Weldon and Trevor Lindsay.

Weldon led in his first winner in more than 30 years when Aussie Sands won a heat of the $6200 Maiden Series (520m) last Saturday, while Lindsay rugged up his first-ever four-win haul at the track on Tuesday.

“That was my first win as an owner-trainer since 1993,” Weldon said during the week after regaining his trainer’s licence earlier in the year.

And he has his fingers crossed that Aussie Sands can add to his tally, starting with Saturday night’s $4030-to-the-winner maiden final.

Last week’s win was just the dog’s second race start, after kicking off his career in a heat of the Mick Byrne Memorial Series over 520m at Albion Park in late June where he missed the start.

“He’s a nice dog and I think he can develop into a stayer as he matures,” said the Riverview-based (Ipswich suburb) trainer, who only has two dogs in work.

“I’m going into the final with confidence, particularly if he can draw near the fence,” Weldon said before Wednesday’s box draw that saw Aussie Sands come up with the blue four.

“I’d really like an inside box.

“You don’t want to be drawn off the track at Ipswich.”

He said Aussie Sands had good box manners and was very strong at the finish of his races.

“I was happy with his run (30.94s) last week,” the trainer said.

“He lived up to his trial time.

“He clocked 30.87s his first time out of the Ipswich boxes.”

Weldon first picked up the lead and collar in 1976 when based at Park Ridge but stepped away from the code in the ’90s after his family ‘started to grow’.

“The kids came along and I stepped away from the dogs,” he said.

He concentrated on his truck driving and raising his family but stayed in touch with the sport, teaming up with Wayne Dunsmore to breed a few litters over the years.

“Tom Tzouvelis reared the pups and trained them for us,” Weldon said.

And then late last year, he decided to give ownership another go and found himself at the Ipswich puppy auction.

“I didn’t get a bidding card,” Weldon said.

However, he was impressed with a fawn Aussie Infrared-Rhyno’s Kiss male pup, now racing as Aussie Sands.

“He came out … he was a really nice dog.

“A strikingly good-looking fawn, but no-one bid on him.

“I liked the dog and I later followed up with an offer and breeder Robert Higgs and I agreed on a price.

“The dog’s still only young; he’s just 20 months old.

“He’s showing signs he may stay. He’s very strong at the end of his races.

“He doesn’t even puff.

“He could have gone around again last weekend.”

During his first stint with the lead and collar, Weldon said he had a couple of smart chasers, none better than Capalaba specialist Tops For Me.

“A member of the second litter I bred (Benjamin John-Lady Kenara), Tops For Me was runner-up in a Capalaba Greyhound Of The Year award in the early 80s,” he said.

“Nothing could beat her at the start, particularly at Capalaba.

“She had real early speed.”

MEANWHILE, Lindsay experienced a career highlight with his four winners on Tuesday.

“It was my best ever day at the races,” he said.

And what made it all the more special, they were his only runners at the meeting.

“I had a couple of winning trebles when I lived in NSW but never four,” said Lindsay.

“Tuesday was a huge day, just fantastic.”

He said he’s been in the game more than 30 years after his parents were in greyhounds, racing at the Gabba in the early days.

Based at the Glasshouse Mountains, north of Brisbane, this full-time trainer has 16 dogs in work.

His four winners – all successful over the 431m trip – were $23 chance Absolution in a 5th Grade, Stormy Trench ($11) in a 4th/5th Grade, $8.50 hope Sunshine Chick in a 5th Grade and his only well-fancied runner, Kingsbrae Alice ($1.45) in a 5th Grade.

A $1 investment all-up on the quartet would have returned $3118.

“Believe it or not, I was speaking with one of our owners before the meeting and said  ‘if they all jumped well we could get four winners’, never really expecting it to happen,” said Lindsay.

He said he had experienced the joy of Group glory when he was head foreman for Gippsland greyhound great Peter Giles and his daughter Lauren Gorman.

“They were among the top five kennels in Australia for many years,” Lindsay said.

“But to take four runners to a meeting and get four winners … it’s just fantastic.”

Born and spending his early years in Queensland, he moved to NSW 30 years ago before a 12-month stint with leading Victorian trainer Jason Thompson.

He said he then joined Giles’ operation, working there for 15 years, the last seven as head foreman.

 Lindsay also heaped praise on his partner Kym Watson.

“I couldn’t do what I’m doing without her support and help,” he said.

“She does a tremendous amount of work with the dogs.

 “Without that lady I wouldn’t have got four winners yesterday,” he said earlier in the week.

“It’s a working partnership. She’s a great help in the operation.

“We put a lot of work into the dogs.

“We also have some gun owners and it was great to have the success for them.

“It was absolutely a great day.”

“IT was a shame her nose wasn’t six inches longer,” said Tyson Barton of his gallant little stayer Fahey’s Magic’s narrow second to Exploded in last week’s Group 1 $175,000-to-the-winner Queensland Cup (710m) at Albion Park.

Barton and his little champ trek from his Casino base to Ipswich on Saturday for the lesser $18,500 Grand Prix (732m).

“She’s a dog that can’t just sit in her kennel doing nothing,” he said.

“She pulled up 100 per cent after the Cup, so we’ve decided to keep her going.

“She’s a six-month bitch and we expect her to come on season in August, so we’ll keep going with her until then.

“She carries on if she’s not racing.

“She just loves it.”

Fahey’s Magic, with a wonderful 49: 21-13-5 record and $346,130 in prizemoney, will be racing over the Ipswich 732m trip for the first time, as will the other seven runners.

The Grand Prix, first run at Ipswich as the Winter Cup in 2014 before the name change the following year, is the only race over 732m run for open class stayers at the track.

Barton said Fahey’s Magic had a trial at Ipswich a couple of months back over the 431m journey.

“She handled it beautifully,” he said.

“She usually jumps pretty good.”

The trainer said it was a shame Fahey’s Magic couldn’t get the job done in the Queensland Cup.

She made up many lengths late, flashing home along the rails to just miss.

“I was really rapt in the run and we are so proud of her,” Barton said.

“It was a shame her nose wasn’t longer.”

Fahey’s Magic, who tips the scales at just 24kgs, failed by less than a head to reel in Exploded.

Barton said the biggest threat to Fahey’s Magic (box 7) on Saturday night appeared to be Steve Whyte’s Sandown Cup winner Irish Millie (box 1).

“She’s a definite danger and Tommy’s (Tzouvelis) dogs are always strong,” he said.

Tzouvelis has four runners in the feature – Scarlatti (box 2), Scintillate (box 3), Pursuer (box 6) and Amendola (box 8).

*****

A HOST of talented youngsters will step out in four heats of the Young Guns series on Saturday night.

The Tony Apap-trained, Kristy Sultana-owned Hush Hush has drawn box one in the opening heat (Race 6).

Hush Hush, with a slick 30.38s to his credit, is a last-start winner over the trip (30.61s), while the consistent Adam McIntosh-prepared Golden Bear is well drawn in three.

Greg Stella’s smart sprinter Traditional looks hard to beat in heat two, particularly with the inside draw.

The Aussie Infrared-Inspired Hope youngster, with a 30.40s PB, is chasing a hat-trick following successive wins at Ipswich over 431m and 520m.

Biggest dangers appear to be Tom Tzouvelis’ Tsu’tey and Michael Vaughan’s Big Chief Size.

Jedda Cutlack will be hoping Duffman can recapture his winning form in heat three although stiff opposition is sure to come from Zephyr (Gerald Corrigan), Cheers For Bella (Tony Apap) and northern NSW chaser Backcreek Benny (Robert Andrews).

The Selena Zammit-prepared Hoshino, fresh from a Winter Carnival campaign that included a heat victory in the Flying Amy series, will jump from box seven in the final heat.

Main dangers look to be the Tom Tzouvelis-prepared Fearless Freak, Ray Burman’s Big Boy Bentley and the Ned Snow sprinter Glastonbury Man.