Caption: Townsville trainer Bobbie-Jean Chaffey with recent winner King Amar. (Photo: Louise Partland)
By MIKE HILL
BOBBIE-Jean Chaffey, or BJ as she is known to her friends, is somewhat surprised by her success so far this year.
Although she’s only had her trainer’s licence a bit over 12 months, BJ currently sits in second place behind runaway leader Brad Belford (91 wins) on the Townsville trainers premiership with 37 winners.
“It’s an exciting time,” said Chaffey, who we feature this month in The Trainer column.
“And it’s rewarding when you see your dogs improving and reaching their potential.”
With her partner Paul Smith assisting her, BJ has a smart team of chasers in work at their Stuart base.
In the past month or so she has been on a winning run, picking up a series of doubles and trebles.
“I had a treble last Friday and another a week earlier,” she said last month.
“I’ve also had a couple throughout the year, but I haven’t had the four or five winners that Brad (Belford) gets.”
Chaffey rugged up winning trebles in three successive weeks in late May and early June, and has now set a goal of, hopefully, reaching 100 winners by the end of the year.
In 2022, the kennel finished with a season tally of 58 wins.
“We have a good team at the moment,” she said.
“We have 32 race dogs in work and some pups coming through.
“Several Superior Panama pups, which we have high hopes for, have just come back from the breakers and we are about to break-in a couple of pups ourselves.
And the kennel recently picked up several new additions, including two promising sprinters from Sydney trainer Luke Azzopardi.
“Luke has sent up litter sisters Molly Emgrand and Sister Emgrand (Pindari Express-Mrs. Emgrand),” Chaffey said.
“They are showing potential.
“Both have a win and a second from their first two starts for us.
“We are also lucky we have good owners, who have been very loyal, particularly Robert Connelly, owner of last year’s Townsville Greyhound of the Year winner Balts Agenda.
“The sprinter has had a five-month break and she looks good since she’s been back in work.
“She should return to the track after the two-week break for the Townsville Show. (The club resumes racing on Friday, July 7.)
Balts Agenda was the standout sprinter in NQ in the last quarter of 2022, winning 11 of 13 starts, including eight in a row, all over the shorter 380m trip.
Her career record currently stands at 22 wins and 19 placings from 60 starts with earnings just over $41,000.
Like several in the Chaffey team, Balts Agenda could be aimed at the upcoming Group 3 $112,525 Townsville Cup (498m).
“The Cup is high on our agenda going forward,” the trainer said.
“It’s our biggest race of the year with the biggest prizemoney and last year’s win by (home-town hero) Redemption Day has given local trainers the encouragement that we can do it again.”
Chaffey said other sprinters in the kennel with winning form included Billy Buttons (Kilty Lad-Mrs. Huang), with four wins and four seconds from his past 10 starts, litter brother Night Buttons , the consistent Daisy Moments, Harlem Shuffle and See Me Balt.
BJ said the biggest influence on her had been other trainers in the Townsville region.
“Trainers up here are always willing to help you and offer advice,” she said.
“It’s like a big family.”
1: How and when did you get involved in greyhound racing?
A: I got involved as a handler in 2019 when my partner start training greyhounds. Now my son has joined the team as a handler, and it has been a wonderful experience to share this with him.
2: Who has been the greatest influence on you as a trainer?
A: I learnt a lot from my partner while I was handling; Jo Wooler has always been an asset with her wealth of knowledge and experience, and I have learned a lot from Laurie Wode over the last 12 months
3: At what age do you start preparing a pup for racing?
A: You want them to be comfortable being in and around the boxes, comfortable being on a lead and most important keen to chase. We are getting our pups used to all of this at five months of age.
4: How long does it take to prepare a pup for its first race?
A: It all depends on the dog. Once they are back from the breakers it can take anywhere from 3-6 months.
5: What makes a good pup?
A: Their ability to chase and work their way around the track.
6: Do you do anything special when preparing a young dog for its maiden compared to a seasoned performer?
A: You spend more time preparing a maiden, getting them fit, comfortable and confident whereas with a seasoned racer it is more about maintaining their fitness and recovery after a race.
7: Do you have a set routine for all your greyhounds or do you vary training for individual runners?
A: I have a base routine that all my dogs go through, yet as they are all individuals their training adjusts according to their needs.
8: How frequently do you like to race your dogs?
A: We race twice a week in Townsville, some can back it up whereas others need that extra recovery time.
9: What’s your training routine for dogs between races?
A: Recovery and rest. We have yards they can run in and yards they can chill in.
10: Do you do all muscle work on your dogs and treat all injuries?
A: I do the basic check over on my dogs and have magnetic mats, lasers, massage beds and walking machines to help assist them with any injuries or soreness. We have a muscle man that comes regularly to check our dogs. We have also started getting the dogs Cryotherapy treatments post-race which I have found beneficial in their recovery and treatment of any muscle soreness
11: Which is the best greyhound you have trained?
A: I have a few dogs I am training now which show exciting potential like Billy Buttons, Harlem Shuffle, Paw Baby, the Emgrand sisters, but Balts Agenda, Rum and Hustle and Quinn Bale would have to be top of the list.
12: What do you consider is the best greyhound track in Australia and why?
A: Being based in Townsville I have only raced at Townsville and Rockhampton. I got to visit The Meadows in Victoria and was quite impressed with the track there.
13: What is the best advice you could give someone just starting out as a trainer?
A: Don’t be afraid to ask for advice and to ask questions. It is the only way to learn. Take on their advice and experience and make it your own as not everything someone else does is going to suite you or your dogs.
