Caption: Shipwreck takes out the 2022 Vince Curry Final at Ipswich for trainer Ned Snow.  (Photo: Just Greyhound Photos)

Ipswich Club wrap by Rowan Anderson

THE 2023 edition of the Group 3 Vince Curry Maiden in early February marks 20 years since veteran trainer Ned Snow took out the feature.

Snow has won the richest race in the country for maidens run over the 520m twice with Woops A Daisy (2003) and the 2022 winner in Shipwreck.

On Saturday, February 4, he will aim to do it back-to-back with three or four hopefuls to enter the heats.

“I took a dog to Casino, Golden Penny, and he ran third in the maiden there so I will send him to the Vince Curry heats,” Snow said. “He has two brothers I will aim for the heats too.”

Some winners of the race have become household names of greyhound racing, including Captain Standby (1992), Classy Marcy (1994), Token Prince (1997) and Just the Best (1999).

Shipwreck has won on 11 outings from 34 while banking $188,965 in prizemoney and it all began with the Vince Curry Maiden Final win.

“Last year was also a boost in prizemoney, which is always good, but he was always going to be hard to beat because he runs such good times,” Snow said.

“Because they are all puppies it is very hard to win because they run off on the corner down the home straight.

“I had another dog that should have won it a few years ago called Lend A Paw. A dog fell over in front of him and he jumped over and did his metacarpal in his front foot.”

At the start of December, Shipwreck stormed home in the QGold Summer Sprint Final after camping out on the pack leader before riding the inside rail to win after opening as strong favourite at $1.65 odds.

Snow said Shipwreck would be aimed at feature races this month.

Katie’s Lad won the first Vice Curry Maiden in 1984. It was originally run over the 512m with the distance being extended to the further 520m in 2002.

The fastest time for the race was by Just the Best trained by Paul Felgate in 1999 in 29.76.

The race was named in honour of radio broadcaster Vince Curry, the man referred to as racing’s Mr Nice Guy, who had a passion for the “Sport of Kings”.

Born at Oakey, near Toowoomba, in 1929, Curry called a range of sports, however, he never called a greyhound race, but he left his mark on the sport and changed the game for the better.

When the Ipswich Greyhound Club was attempting to obtain a Saturday night racing licence in the early 1980s, the club had to be able to guarantee radio broadcasting to the TAB.

Vince Curry, as sporting director of radio 4BC, went out of his way to ensure that this happened.

Vince passed away in 1983 at the age of 54 and this race was named in his honour. He did so much for the Ipswich club and in turn the industry as a whole.

The heats will be run on January 21 before the semi-final a week later on January 28 and the final on February 4.

*****

TRAINER Robert Essex has a great sense of humour when talking about his success with his kennel of 16 dogs.

Last month he had a big night at the track not only ringing in his 30th winner for the year with Maywyn Kama, but having three other winners for the night including a race to race double.

His winners were Maywyn’s Luck, Maywyn Kama, Armstrong and his most experienced current starter in Maywyn Ullysses (102: 18-22-15).

The litter of Maywyn runners is made up of eight that include Maywyn’s Nifty and Maywyn Gold.

“It is looking to be a pretty handy litter,” Essex said.

He said he liked to give his kennel mates a hit-out or two at Ipswich before moving them up to the 500m distance with outings to Albion Park also thrown in the mix.

With some younger dogs and maidens, he said that possible entries in the Vince Curry heats would depend on their performances.

“It depends on where they are going at the time. Right now, I have nothing marked for the Vince Curry, but you never know what could happen,” Essex said.

“I am not a great believer in racing them over the 431m as they tend to get knocked around a fair bit.

“But I do like to give them a few starts at that distance as it allows them to work with other dogs and get that experience.

“If they don’t win after one or two starts there then I work them up to the 500.”

Essex tends to give his dogs two runs over 431m to see if it would work for them.

“It’s a bit like walking out the back door and your wife hits you with the mop. The first time it would surprise you, the second time you come out you’ve forgotten about it, and she hits you again, and the third time you open the door and see where she is.

“That’s what I find with the dogs – they get checked out of the 431m boxes a couple of times they tend to lose interest and I move them to the 500m.”

*****

PAULINE Byers looked set to take out the female trainer of the year again leading the women by more than 300 points.

In a stellar year she broke her kennel’s record of wins for a year which was set at 106 last year.

She also saw the most trained starters this year cracking 600 after building on previous training years’ numbers of 586 (2020) and 587 (2021).

In 2022 she trained Ringbark Road, the highest ranked dog on the Ipswich premiership ladder, with the son of Fernando Bale scoring 16 wins and eight placings.

*****

PETER O’Reilly led the ladder for the men by a clear 210 points.

With frequent flyers at the track that include Bailey and Burned, the kennel looks set to continue its success at Ipswich.