Trainer Gary Pearce building his own confidence with breakthrough city victory

By Jordan Gerrans

By his own admission, Gary Pearce lacks confidence as a greyhound trainer.

He has prepared winners at all three tracks around South East Queensland over the last few years but when he has thought he had a higher level dog that he owned, they would often head over to another trainer.

He had owned Thursday evening metropolitan winners before this week.

But, he added a Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club metro victory to his name as a trainer on Thursday night as exciting youngster Hara's Salty kept his unbeaten run to the start of his career going.

The Raceview-based Pearce was even thinking of handing Hara's Salty to another trainer in recent times but those around him told him to keep the son of Sennachie and now he is reaping the rewards.

“I do not rate myself as a real good trainer,” Pearce said candidly.

“But, a few people have said to me in the last few days that I need to have a bit more confidence in myself as a trainer.

“They told me to keep going and I will be right as a trainer.

“A lot of other trainers and people in racing have told me that the dog is going fantastic.

“My problem is that I am a bit quiet and think that if I gave the dog to another trainer, they could do a better job, but a few people have told me the dog is going quick and to stick with it.

“The dog is going fast at the moment.”

Hara's Salty won his Novice event on Thursday night after claiming victory on debut earlier this month at the same track.

He has been able to lead all the way in both victories over 520 metres, winning in 29.89 seconds in his second attempt around the circuit.

Pearce has been around the industry for some time and has been guided by a number of leading trainers and breeders along the way.

He has regular chats to people such as champion trainer Tony Brett, Michael Zammit, the respected Desley Williams, in-form young trainer Jemma Daley as well as Kerry and Ian Hoggan.

It was Daley – who claimed the Listed Molly Campbell Silver Dollars on Thursday night – who gave Pearce his new kennel star.

Daley’s Hara’s are flying – filling the top three positions in the Listed race – and she handed this one to Pearce because there was not a lot of room in her booming kennel.

“Salty was not quite switched on and Jemma did not have the time with the kennel she has,” Pearce remembers.

“We work closely together, she helps me and I do the same back, and she asked me if I wanted to try and train him.

“He has turned it around and switched on.”

It was experienced trainer Zammit who initially suggested to Pearce that the fawn dog might become a city level chaser after watching him trial.

On Friday morning, Pearce was still over the moon with the achievement.

“It was one of the most exciting times for me, I could not wipe the smile off my face,” he said.

“It looks like the dog might have a bit of a future in him.

”It is great for me to have something decent of my own in the kennel.”

And, he was also stoked for his close mate Daley, training the trifecta in the feature event for the evening, with Hara’s Skye getting the prize.

The Daley kennel are one of the most in-form teams in the Sunshine State.

“A bit surreal,” admitted Daley of the trifecta in the Silver Dollars to the Greyhound Recorder.

“They all pulled up fantastic.”

Many of Daley’s emerging kennel stars are now being targeted towards the upcoming Townsville Cup in North Queensland.

Daley has been a significant part of Pearce’s journey.

“She has been a great help for me, pre-training and getting them through,” Pearce said.

“She has been going unreal herself.

“I am grateful and thankful for her help.

“I was always trialling dogs with Jemma as she was looking for more people to trial dogs with.”

Pearce is unsure where Hara's Salty will start next but will have a chat to those close to him in the coming days to identify a plan going forward for the unbeaten greyhound.

The trainer also has litter brother Hara's Skipper in his kennel and believes he also has a bright future, thinking he might be even quicker than Hara's Salty when he is back at the track.