Caption: Milligan just lasts to beat Sacred Stance in today’s (Sunday’s) $60,000 Con Sciacca TAB Capalaba Cup (Group 3). (Photo: Toby Coutts)
By PAT McLEOD
Kennel favourite Milligan helped ease what has been a heart-breaking week for the champion Tony Brett team, when he held off southern raider Sacred Stance to win today’s (Sunday’s) $60,000 Con Sciacca TAB Capalaba Cup (Group 3).
Brett’s cousin Raymond Johnson, 55, passed away suddenly in Cairns early in the week. He is Sarah Johnson’s father. Sarah is well known in Queensland greyhound circles and a key member of ‘Team Brett’.
“To come back from the week that we have had and to get this win, well things do happen for a reason,” Brett said after Milligan’s win.
“We know that he (Ray) was part of today and that’s why it makes it that little bit more special.
“Ray and I were close as kids. His family would come down to our place in Mackay or down to here (south-east Queensland) when we moved here.”
Brett and his family flew to Cairns for the Friday funeral and then returned to their Grandchester (west of Brisbane) training base on Saturday to prepare for the Cup. Also in Brett’s care was one of the cup’s top fancies, Victorian Jason Thompson’s Unleash Collinda, who finished unplaced.
Originally Sarah wasn’t due back for several days, but decided to make the return trip early and was a surprise addition at Capalaba. She handled ‘Spike’ (Milligan) for the final, while Brett led out Unleash Collinda.
“I have always liked Milligan,” said Sarah. “He has a lot of personality and he really wants attention and won’t be ignored. Dad would have been happy with the outcome.”
A lot of the pre-race chatter was not around Milligan’s winning chances, but what carnage he may cause in his bid to get to his favoured outside position from Box 3.
Brett admitted that he was part of that discussion.
“I was part of that talk before the final because I thought the same,” he said.
“But Milligan started well today. I saw that he was moving out and wasn’t hitting other dogs. I thought this could be really good, he could get to where he wants to go without interference.
“When I saw the one (Sacred Stance), chasing him, I thought ‘OK you are going to have to give it everything’. And he did.”
In fact $2.20 favourite, Sacred Stance (Michelle Sultana), the recent Healesville Cup victor, flew home to just miss out by the narrowest of margins (0.13lengths). Outsider Tira Mira (Cliff Houston) ran a sensational race to claim third.
Milligan ($6.50) now has five wins and two thirds up the straight at Capalaba as well as a second in the straight track Nationals, at Richmond.
Brett says the straight was now a genuine part of the flyer’s future
“I thought Milligan would work well over a longer distance (600m), so that was part of the plan and then the Capalaba Cup came along. You can make money just being a straight track dog. We will just sit down with Steve (owner Steve Williams) and work out what we want to do.”
This was the second Capalaba Cup in a row for premier Queensland breeder-owner Williams, who won the Cup last year with the Kevin Ellis-trained Impact.
Meanwhile, Capalaba track judge, Tricia Fuller, was ecstatic when her own dog Georgie Choo (Cosmic Rumble-Bikini Cloud) won the Bob Vernon Memorial Maiden in 20.02.
“This was very special … the first feature final that I have won on my own,” she said. (Tricia took over the training duties of the kennel when her partner Glenn Smith passed away more than three years ago.)
Georgie Choo held off Ninetymile Queen by a head to win with Caramel Queen in 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.
“He is a handy little dog and tries his heart out,” said Mackay. “In all of his starts (41) he has only been unplaced about eight times. If you have three of those in your kennel you are laughing.”
