By Mike Hill

CENTRAL Queensland race caller Liam Mulry experienced the ups and downs of racing last month.

Mulry, the on-course greyhound caller at Callaghan Park at Rockhampton, has three greyhounds in his Muldog Racing syndicates – all under the guidance of leading trainer Darren Taylor.

Although they are in completely different ownerships, Mulry, as syndicate manager and part-owner in all three, experiences all the emotions that go with success and failure.

The well-bred Over Time (Dyna Double One-Clockwise) gave his syndicate members – and there are plenty of them – reason to celebrate with an impressive win in the $7875 TAB Rockhampton Grand Prix (510m) in late June.

A half brother to the outstanding sprinter and rising sire Fast Times, Over Time – a $9.50 chance -pushed his career record to 17 wins and 27 placings from 65 starts and lifted his prizemoney to almost $39,000 with victory in the $5250-to-the-winner feature.

The Taylor-trained sprinter beat Warren Nicholls\’ Copy Workshop ($11) by one-and-a-quarter lengths with kennelmate and another Muldog Racing chaser Rose Ali ($3.80 equal favourite) a fast-finishing third.

\”Over Time is a marvel,\” Mulry said in his after-race summary.

He later described the sprinter as \’a very consistent race dog\’.

\”He\’s given his many part-owners plenty of reasons to celebrate,\” he said. \”He gives his all in his races. He knows it\’s race night and tries his hardest.

\”And he\’s taken some useful scalps in recent runs, beating dogs that have more natural talent. He\’s very professional and obviously loves the Rocky track.\”

Mulry said there were 63 owners in the Over Time syndicate.

\”They come from near and far,\” he said.

\”One lives in Seattle in the US and another was based in Singapore, but has since returned to Australia, and the rest are scattered throughout  the country.

\”For 50 members of the syndicate this has been their first involvement in the sport. It\’s been a heck of a ride for all of us.

\”When you join a syndicate the goal is to win one race. Over Time has achieved that and much, much more.\”

His other major feature success was victory in the Rockhampton Cup Consolation Final in June.

Over Time began his career with leading trainer Tony Brett in late 2018, landing a placing from three Ipswich runs, before joining Taylor\’s Bouldercombe-based kennels.

Since his arrival in Central Queensland the black sprinter has been a model of consistency.

\”Darren\’s been able to get the best out of him as his record shows,\” Mulry said.

But within two weeks optimism turned to disappointment for the Mulry camp.

Taylor took four runners north to Townsville \’to have an early look at the track\’ leading into this month\’s big Cup Carnival in the northern city.

The trip proved a nightmare for the team.

Mulry\’s three runners  – Over Time, Rose Ali and Tommy Lava – all featured in the stewards report with Over Time and Rose Ali suffering severe interference in their respective races.

Over Time lost all hope when he was caught up in a multiple dog scrimmage down the back straight while making a promising forward move.

\”He suffered a webbing injury that will see him sidelined for a month and he\’ll almost certainly miss the G3 Townsville Cup,\” said a dejected Mulry.

And the disappointment didn\’t end there.

Tommy Lava, owned by Mulry and his wife, also pulled up sore and will be out for three or four weeks, while Rose Ali, the $1.55 favourite in the 643m stayers race, was a gallant fast finishing second to smart chaser Gascoigne after being pummelled in a first corner crush that pushed the well-bred bitch back to last.

The daughter of outstanding staying bitch Born Ali (winner of $254,600 in prizemoney), has been racing without luck lately while still powering home at the end of her races.

It had encouraged Taylor to try her over 710m at Albion Park last month, but again luck deserted the team.

She came on season on the eve of the race and had to be scratched.

\”We were looking forward to seeing how she went against the city class,\” Mulry said.

\”She\’s been coming home hard in recent runs and racing without luck. But at least we know she\’s a 12-month bitch. She came on season this time last year.

\”We\’ll probably race her until late this year or early next year and then retire her. We\’re planning to breed with her and we\’ll probably do it next time she comes on season.

\”We\’re getting good reports about the young sire Aston Dee Bee and I already have one of his straws. We\’ll probably go with him for her first litter.\”

Being by My Bro Fabio, Mulry can expect a lot of interest in Rose Ali\’s first pups.