Auction success story backs boost for this year

By Alex Nolan

Tarquin Neal has one of the greatest recent success stories to come out of the Ipswich Auction and he believes things can only get better, after a number of format changes and prize money boosts that will benefit this year’s graduates.

The 2022 Alan Price Memorial Ipswich Auction takes place from 10am at the Showgrounds on Sunday, with 102 lots to go under the hammer.

Recent changes to the format have seen the introduction of Sale Only pups and Breeder Buy In pups, which aims to reduce the number of buybacks at the sale.  

Breeders and nominators will receive nomination discounts depending how many pups they enter into the auction, but any buybacks will be required to pay the full 12% commission.

In July, the Ipswich club announced a significant prize money boost to the 2024 race series, which will offer $100,000 to the winner, $25,000 to the runner-up and $12,500 for third.

It will also present a $10,000 breeders’ bonus to the series winner, and a $500 bonus for each series finalist.

Neal made headlines earlier this year when he won the $40,000 to the winner series with 2020 sale graduate Sushi Mango.

Heading to the 2020 auction with a view to buying multiple pups, he would leave with just the one.

“It was pretty surreal but I’m heading back up there on Sunday to hopefully find another $5000 Sushi Mango,” Neal told Racing Queensland.

“I think it’s a great incentive what the club has done with this auction with $100,000 to the winner and the breeding bonuses as well.

“They’ve really tried to turn it around and make it bigger and better.

"Rob Essex and the Ipswich committee should be congratulated.”

Neal admits it was difficult to go to the sale confident of purchasing pups a couple of years back and believes the buyback rules will make it easier for prospective first-time owners to get their start.

“It made it hard because when I went up there I had a look and had earmarked a lot of pups that ended up being buybacks,” he said.

“It was pretty frustrating because I only ended up with one and that one has turned out to be a good one but, at the time I needed dogs and I just couldn’t get them.”

A total of 253 breeder buy-ins have been declared in this year’s catalogue, which can be found at the Ipswich Greyhound Racing Club website.

“It’s great to see how many pups are there for sale,” Neal said.

“Me and my partner Jemma Daley have about five earmarked but we’ll see how they present when we get up there.

“We’ve been sent photos and plenty of trainers have come on board and I think what Michael McInally has done this year in taking videos of the pups has been excellent.

"I’d like to see that take off and happen for every lot in the future.”

This year has been a breakout one for Neal, who made the move from Townsville to Brisbane in recent years to make a fist of a full-time career in greyhounds, following 13 years in the armed forces.

The past five runners he’s boxed have saluted the judge and he has trained 17 winners from his last 50 starters overall.

“The team is going really well at the moment,” he said.

“I’m really happy and we’ve had a little bit of luck, which helps.

“Hopefully the boost to the auction is another step in the right direction and it continues to get bigger and better, especially with the new complex due to be opened.

“This is what our sport needs. We need new owners and we’ve already had calls from people wanting to get into the industry.”