Make Noise is building towards a Bundy Young Guns crescendo

By Pat McLeod

He may be a short-term mentor for promising speedster Make Noise, but veteran Bundaberg trainer Dennis Isles is confident he will return the youngster to the metropolitan scene as a better race dog and maybe even with a Young Guns title.

Dennis and wife Lorraine have tutored the Zambora Brockie - Shez Sublime chaser for its past 10 starts at Bundaberg and that stint reaches its highlight on Monday with the Final of the $7,700 Bundaberg Young Guns over 531 metres.

Make Noise charged into the Final on the back of a 15-length heat win in 30.21 seconds. 

Dennis was only slightly surprised by the margin. He rates the dog.

“She is a very well-bred animal and is just over two years of age with still so much to learn,” he said.

“We haven’t had her in our kennels for all that long, but in that time she has really impressed me.

“I think she will turn out to be something special. I have a big opinion of her. She is very good across the board, in all aspects of her racing and as a race dog.

“This is a big learning curve for her and there is no doubt she will get even better as she matures and learns more about racing.

“If you use the heat win as a gauge, she had only one start over that distance here before. She ran a super race in that heat, got out of the box very well.

“She covered that distance in just a length slower than local champion Springview Magic, the Bundaberg Cup winner.

“Her run home time was very good. She is a class act, a quality animal.”

Dennis said he approaches the Young Guns Final with hope, rather than confidence and has not been helped by being drawn wide in box seven. 

“Anything in the first four would have been preferable,” he said.

“Now it is all up to luck in running.”

Make Noise (22 starts for six wins, one second and three thirds for $15,345) was sent to the Isles by Greenmount (near Toowoomba) trainer and breeder Justin Bowe after 11 starts at Ipswich and Albion Park.

Dennis expects the dog to return to Bowe for an Albion Park campaign in the next few weeks.

“I am certainly happy to look after her while Justin sends her north and we do what we do,” he said.

“Hopefully she returns to him an even better race dog.

“Of course, I will be sorry to see her go, but I am sure she will do even better at the metropolitan tracks and I would love to see her back here at some stage.”

Bowe has sent many dogs to the Isles’ over the past couple of years. In fact, of the eight race dogs Dennis and Lorraine have in their kennels at the moment, seven have come via Bowe.

“I own just one of my race dogs at the moment, Unencumbered,” Dennis said.

“He is a good, smart dog, but with injury concerns. He has run some good times here at Bundaberg, however because of injury issues I gave him about eight months in the paddock and he is just back into work now.

“He is not young, in fact is almost old enough to vote.”

The Isles have been involved in greyhound racing, mainly around Bundaberg, for about 40 years.

Their best so far has been Custom Idea, a give-away bitch who went on to be a Rockhampton Cup winner.

The 77-year-old Dennis says he and Lorraine will train for as long as they can.

“I would not be able to do this without Lorraine. It is a real partnership,” he said.

“We work the dogs together. It is a combined effort. You see a similar situation through all tiers of greyhound racing from the bottom right through to the top, families working together.”