Caption: Martina Kirillidis and Tim Britton at their Churchable kennels. (Photo courtesy Racing Queensland)

By Pat McLeod

Martina Kirillidis may be a relative newcomer to greyhound racing, and to south-east Queensland, but the young trainer is determined that this region will be the launching pad to her next major step in the industry.

Kirillidis is part of the powerful Victorian-based Britton family greyhound juggernaut.

She and partner Tim Britton have been the major players in establishing a 40-acre satellite kennel at Churchable from late last year.

Kirillidis, who has been a trainer for four years, is a significant part of that busy, 37-kennel operation.

So far this year she has had 295 starters in her name for 41 wins and 105 placings.

“It is busy, but you are always busy in greyhound racing,” she says.

“It was a similar scenario back in Victoria. Early mornings, late nights, that is just greyhound racing.

“Tim and I love it up here, but there have been the rough spots that we had to navigate through.

“We are really thankful to all the people who have helped us out up here.

“Everybody has been so welcoming.

“There are people like Bailey (Dargusch) who came and picked us and our team of dogs up recently when we were stranded on the side of the road.

“We have a great crew that helps us out at meetings handling the dogs.

“Often we have up to 12 dogs at the one meeting, so we don’t know what we would do without them.”

Kirillidis and Britton will have nine dogs across Thursday night’s 11-race program at Albion Park. Six of those are in Kirillidis’ name and some of those have the potential to give her the next major career leap – a group start.

“That is my next major goal, a group race,” she says.

“I am really happy with how far I have come in such a short time and the opportunities that have come my way.

“It was only a little while ago that my goal was to win my first race as a trainer and then my first city race.

“I did that with Gabby’s Gyros last year at Geelong and then The Meadows. David Burnett gave her to me as a present when we came up here.

“She has raced up here and ran fourth at Albion last Thursday night in a Masters.

“She has an injury so I have retired her and she will probably go to the breeding barn, but she is very special to me.”

One of the bright lights in Kirillidis’ charge at the moment is budding distance chaser Shine A Light.

Last week he upstaged more fancied kennelmates Red Dirt Road (second) and First Picked (third) in a 710m FFA.

This Thursday he is back in against this pair in the same event, but with one notable addition.

Group powerhouse Valpolicella will also be in the six-dog field, jumping from box five.

“I am looking forward to this race,” Kirillidis said.

“Our kennel has been doing very well over the 710m at Albion Park and we weren’t expecting to be so dominant.

“But it is great to have Valpolicella racing here again. You want to be competing against the best.

“I have no doubt Valpolicella will be back to her best. Tony (Zammit) will have her firing.”

Valpolicella has been off the local scene while competing away at the Nationals in Adelaide and then was given a short spell.

She did return to ‘The Creek’ two weeks ago, but appeared uncharacteristically ‘flat’, running fourth to Red Dirt Road           

Kirillidis said she entered greyhound racing by accident about six years ago.

“I had finished school, went on a gap year to visit my family overseas and then came back and was looking for a job,” she recalls.

“I applied for plenty of jobs online, including David’s (prominent greyhound trainer David Burnett) plumbing shop.

“It was for office work.

“I got that job, and I ended up being a delivery driver and a couple of months later I was letting out dogs on his farm.

“Like a lot of young girls, I had wanted to be a vet, or a zookeeper, and I did my Cert 3 in Animal Studies.

“I almost got a job at a horse stud farm back in Melbourne.

“Working for David I became more and more involved in his greyhound business, even looking after his farm when he went on holidays.

“Soon I was also involved in the racing side of things. I had started work for David just before he got Simon Told Helen (48 starts, 26 wins, 15 placings, $912,691 in prizemoney).

“I had grown up with dogs. My father bred rottweilers and German shepherds, so I was very familiar with dogs.

“On David’s farm I just fell in love with greyhounds, got my handler’s licence and then my next goal was to become a trainer.

“So that happened after a couple of years and now I can’t believe how far I have come in greyhound racing.”

Kirillidis and Tim Britton met at the Healesville straight track and have been together for about three years.

She says she is looking forward to the upcoming Ipswich and Brisbane carnivals, and maybe that group race start.

“I am still learning so much every day,” she says.

“It would be nice to tick that group race box during these carnivals.

“Hopefully Shine A Light continues to improve. Beach Bourbski and Punchy are showing promise and the Akela dogs go well at Ipswich.

“We will see what the future brings.”