By Isaac Murphy
The hype around No Easy Beat is justified. Heads were turned when the Rusty Dillon trained dog smashed the Bundaberg Maiden record at his first start and following his first feature win the Molly Campbell Silver Dollars in race record time (29.65). The greyhound world is wondering what is next.
Dillon said his next assignment was to be the Ipswich Derby. A race he’d be a red-hot favourite, but the trainer isn’t taking any chances with a plethora of options for Queensland’s quickest dog in the upcoming months.
“I was all set to nominate him for the Ipswich Derby, but he just pulled up a little bit sore after he got clipped on the first turn in the Molly Campbell on Thursday night. So, I just gave him a freshen up this week,” Dillon said.
“He’ll be right to go next week either at Albion Park on a Thursday night or Ipswich on a Saturday. I’ve been waiting to get him a run at Ipswich with an eye to the Cup approaching in November. It’d be great to get him some experience at Group level.”
“I’m really going to have to take it on a week to week basis because while the Ipswich Cup is important so is the Young Guns at headquarters later this month. If we can have him ripe for those two races, I’ll be a happy man.”
With suitable races approaching in Queensland and the Summer Carnival on the horizon, punters can expect to see plenty of No Easy Beat North of the border, but Dillon knows it’s only a matter of time until he tackles the big interstate races and is keen to give him a taste.
“I’ve made it known I’d love to get him down to Victoria whether that be the Meadows or Sandown. I’d like to find a race for him there before we come back for the Brisbane Summer Carnival,” he said.
“He’s only lightly raced and we’ve been very careful making sure we’re on top of all his injuries. I don’t see any reason why he can’t race right through to the Summer Carnival given a bit of luck.”
As impressive as his four length Molly Campbell win was, Dillon sent an ominous warning to rivals believing the dog will appreciate an outside draw rather than the red.
“We’ll take his first feature win (Molly Campbell Memorial) any way we can get it but he did get a bit fortunate from the one getting off the track at the first turn. He was probably the cause of the trouble behind,” Dillon said.
“He’s going to have to shake that habit, but I’d love to see him off some wider draws early in his career. If he gets some space that first twenty or thirty metres, watch out and he’s got the race sense to go around them if he misses it as well.”
“His second section is something to behold and although this won’t be happening anytime soon it’s a trait that certainly lends itself to a 600-metre dog at some point.”
Emotions spilled over for Dillon after the Molly Campbell win, his thoughts very much with close mate Kevin ‘Toby’ Bryant the owner of No Easy Beat who has been battling serious health problems.
“I got a bit emotional last week. Toby who owns No Easy Beat has been in hospital and I’ve been speaking to him every day. To see the dog get up and win the Molly Campbell meant a lot to both of us,” Dillon said.
“Thankfully he came through his surgery but still has a long road to recovery, but I can’t tell you how big a supporter of me he’s been as well as a top-notch trainer and rearer in his own right.”
“He reared Big Easy Red and No Easy Beat when they came through. Everything he does, it’s one hundred percent spot on and I can’t say enough about what he’s done for me as a colleague but more importantly a friend.”
Big Easy Red will always be Dillon’s first great dog but said with the help of partner Tracy Parker and Toby he could form a similar bond with No Easy Beat.
“Big Easy Red took a while to put it all together. Because he was a sprinter who turned stayer it took me a fair while to figure him out, but once I did, he was a very special dog to me because I got to travel with him Melbourne, Adelaide all over and I had a lot of fun with him,” he said.
“Comparing the dogs early on, Toby (Kevin Bryant) said this to me No Easy Beat is a quicker dog. He’s right, not too many dogs can run 29.60 and after twelve starts hold the Molly Campbell and Bundaberg maiden records.”