Pump It only breaking the surface with class record

By Isaac Murphy

Pump It made her Novice rivals looks silly last Thursday night at Albion Park, but it was through no fault of their own.

The brilliance of Mark Saal’s twenty-one month old pup claimed the new class record in 29.68 and the trainer thinks there’s plenty more to come.

Before Thursday, the bitch had spent six of her first seven starts at her home track in Ipswich, and was caught in the ruck first go at Albion a week earlier, but 5.52 to the first mark ensured she could really open up.

“She was well overdue and finally put it all together, I was expecting around 29.80 once she led but to say I was pleased to see 29.68 is an understatement,” Saal said.

“To have your name in the book with a class record is obviously nice, but it’s not what we race for - she’s got bigger and better things but hopefully she can hang on to it for a while.

“It’s just taken her a while at Albion, she’d only had one trial there and it was good (30.12), but I do the majority of my early work with my greyhounds at Ipswich, so it’s just taken her a minute to get used to the new circuit.”

Pump It’s sectionals on her way to her class record were downright outstanding and if she can do it at both ends consistently, she could be anything.

“The biggest takeaway from Thursday night was her run home (12.46), there aren’t many greyhounds her age I’d say in the country that could run that time, couple that with 5.52 early and you’ve got a really exciting bitch,” Saal said.

“The scary thing is I think she can get a lot better; she did put it together the other night, but she still needs work on her galloping action and you hope age will improve her naturally.”

Saal said he entertained the possibility of jumping straight from a Novice into this week’s Young Guns heats but instead was content to play the long game with the pup.

“I was considering taking her straight to the Young Guns heats this Thursday night but she’s still very green if she gets in behind anyone, she climbs all over the back of the dogs and finds plenty of trouble,” he said.

“I’m looking at the bigger picture down the track when her manners are a bit better, I don’t think she’s up to the Oh Mickey’s and Hara’s Clyde of this world yet, she’ll just go in a Fifth Grade this Thursday night.

“The Molly Campbell Silver Dollars is on in about four or five weeks’ time with $37,500 in prize money on offer, I think that’ll be a much better race for her.”

Saal has done a remarkable job to get her to the track fit and healthy after a serious injury post break in, but says he’s got plenty of work still to do to find her ceiling.

“She broke in above average without being sensational, she’d fractured both fibulas when I got her home and had a look at her, so she took a bit of time,” he said.

“Her one and only trial at Albion Park when she went 30.12, the lure driver stuck his head out the window and said ‘mate, she’s running all over the shop’ and he was dead right she’s still so raw at twenty-two months.”

Saal looks to have found a gem of a brood bitch in Simply An Angel, going back to the bitch for Pump It’s litter with Collision after an earlier litter with Barcia Bale produced some quality dogs.

“The brood bitch Simply An Angel is a full litter sister to Thirty Talks who never raced after doing a hock,” he said.

“I bought a couple from her first litter with Barcia Bale which produced Are Jay Junior who made an Ipswich Cup Final last year and is still racing very well.

“Also Babs Kramer who would run a mile if you let her, she’s a stayer on the way back and Front Page News who is raced down south has made a couple of Group One finals.

“Pump It’s litter out of Collision are just starting to race now, she’s definitely the most forward, but you’ve got Hoof It Hank who won for Rob Essex at Ipswich the other night and Slade who I have looks like he’ll make a good 520 metre dog in time.”