Caption: Trainer Jeff Crawford with his former great Capalaba performer Leeroy Rogue. (Photo: Just Greyhound Photos)
Capalaba club wrap with NEIL ARCHER
THE domination of current Capalaba champ Valhalla revives great memories of the many other outstanding straight-track stars who have lit up the Brisbane bayside track over the years.
The Tom Tzouvelis-trained Valhalla posted his sixth straight victory at Capalaba and his 13th win at the track overall when he landed the TAB Anniversary Cup Final on December 10.
Current Capalaba racecaller John ‘Bunny’ Brasch and retired former top caller Paul ‘Dogs’ Dolan between them have called thousands of races up the straight.
They recently put their heads together to come up with a lengthy list of about 14 chasers they consider the best Capalaba dogs they have seen over different time periods.
Brasch called his first races at Capalaba in 1983 when he was still at high school. He has been the regular caller there since 2010.
Dolan began calling at the Capalaba dogs in the late 1970s when racecaller Mick Cox decided to cut down on his hectic schedule and his replacement caller Martin Ross needed a back-up.
“When I started calling at Capalaba they had 10-dog fields – that could test you out at times!” said Dolan.
“I’ve included the dogs I actually saw race and of the dogs I called at Capalaba, I’d probably rate Wallowa Flash as the best.
“He won 15 races at the track but he wasn’t just a straight-track dog. He won good races at other tracks that would be Group races today.”
‘Bunny’ Brasch puts current chasers Valhalla and Fernando Grand among his top Capalaba performers but found it impossible to name an absolute standout from the list.
“It is interesting that the male dogs seem to dominate at Capalaba and Tira Mira – who posted a 19.29 time at the track – is the only bitch I found a spot for.
“And it’s also worth noting that Greg Stella trained three dogs on the list.”
Here are some of the elite Capalaba performers on their list (in no particular order):
Brother Black: Trained by John Kaatz, Brother Black won 30 of his 34 starts at Capalaba. He won he National Straight Championship in 1988 and 1989. Dolan recalls that during the 1988-89 season, what was called ‘the magical 20 second barrier’ was broken eight times under race conditions at Capalaba – every time by Brother Black.
Lonely Drifter: This dog still holds the record for the most wins at Capalaba – a whopping 34 victories! Lonely Drifter was trained by Greg and Michelle Stella for their friend Marilyn Gough. “He was such a great Capalaba dog they named the bar at the track – Drifter’s Bar’ – after him,” said Brasch.
Wallowa Flash: Bred, owned and trainer by Margaret Quarrell, Wallowa Flash was never beaten in 15 starts at Capalaba. He was named Capalaba, Gold Coast and Queensland Greyhound Of The Year in 1991.
David Blue: Dolan reckons the Rex Shipton-trained David Blue was the first real star he called at Capalaba in the late 1970s. “I couldn’t tell you the exact number of races he won at Capalaba, but it was a lot,” said Dolan. He recalls that the strong bookies’ ring in those days always took him on, their logic being he couldn’t keep on winning – but he did.
Kel’s Ideal: Trained by Edna Stafford, Kel’s Ideal won 33 races at Capalaba – a record that stood for nearly a decade.
Leeroy Rogue: Obviously he’s right up there on anyone’s list of the greatest Capalaba dogs. He set the track record of 19.22 in 2016 and that time was only equalled by Fernando Grand this year. The Jeff Crawford-trained chaser won 13 of his 15 starts at Capalaba.
Others to make the list were: Lazy Buck Too, Rylee’s Rumour, Rylee’s Enforcer, Migaloo Magic, Columbian King, Fernando Grand and Valhalla.
Meanwhile, Valhalla could be headed south soon as top Queensland trainer Tom Tzouvelis eyes off a possible tilt at the Traralgon Cup at the end of January.
Tzouvelis revealed his plans after his Orson Allen x Femme Folle sprinter claimed another Capalaba crown, the $18,500 TAB Anniversary Cup Final (366m), at Capalaba on December 10.
Following Valhalla’s 13th win from 18 starts at the boutique straight track, Tzouvelis was weighing up three options – the Golden Ticket at Albion Park (final January 18), the Traralgon Cup (final January 26), the Richmond Straight Cup (final February 3).
“I think that big sweeping back straight and corner at Traralgon is ideal for a high-speed dog like him and he would eat it up,” Tzouvelis said.
“Also, Traralgon holds a special place for us.
“I spent a lot of time there as a kid when my dad used to race there almost every Thursday.
“That’s when they used to race on a Thursday night and we were based in Melbourne.
“From what I’ve seen of Traralgon, it is a track where a dog can come from behind and that suits our bloke, whose box manners are not always perfect.
“It is 450 metres, which is a plus for Valhalla.
“I would need to go down and give him a good look at the track before the heats (January 19).”
If Traralgon is the next target, Tzouvelis would also include a Healesville appointment for Valhalla, after the dog finished behind Unleash Collinda in two races there earlier this year – the Straight Track Nationals and a heat of the Healesville Cup.
“I would also like to give him another look at Healesville,” he said.
“During a Traralgon Cup campaign I would aim to get him a start at that straight track to hopefully get him a win there.
“So, when we do go back for the 2024 Healesville Cup, which I am hoping to do, we would be a little bit more fine-tuned.”
Tzouvelis said Valhalla was now reaching his prime and the timing could not be better.
“He’s getting to a good age for racing now, just over two-and-a-half years old and he’s really hitting his straps,” he said.
“And the timing has been perfect as far as the increases in prizemoney for straight track racing goes.
“If prizemoney wasn’t how it is at Capalaba he would have been back to the circle ages ago.
“I can’t recall ever having a dog that I’ve raced almost exclusively on the straight for this amount of time.
“The last time he was on the circle was July 15 (at Ipswich).
“Normally our dogs use Capalaba as a trial, as we did with Saanvi today (who won Race 6, a heat of the Tommy Hoyland memorial).
“This was Valhalla’s fifth feature final at Capalaba and he has won over $140,000 there.”
Valhalla wasn’t the quickest out of the boxes in the Anniversary Cup, but mustered quickly and found a safe passage to power to the line in 19.39.
Second was Darren Russell’s Top Gun, who came into Box 2 for the scratched Cyrus. Third was Bye Bye Raider (Jamie Mchugh).
Tzouvelis said there were also other options in Valhalla’s immediate future, including the Bulli Gold Cup (Final, February 18) and also a Hobart campaign.
“This was his second start back from a slight hip injury, so we will just look after him,” he said.
“If at any stage he isn’t pulling up well, we will give him his spell.
“The beauty is, he has opened up so many options. We don’t have to rush anything.”
Coming up at Capalaba
The highlight of Capalaba racing in late December will be the Grand Prix series. Heats are on Sunday, December 24 with the $11,600 final on December 31.