Hara’s Clyde could steal Flying Amy at first turn

By Isaac Murphy

Thursday night’s Group Three Flying Amy field is as open a race as you’ll find, but as is universally known box draws win finals and all eyes will be on Tony Brett’s Hara’s Clyde early.

From box two, it could shape the race either for or against his favour, and the champion trainer is trying to get a read like everyone else on how the race will pan out.

“Oh Mickey missing out in the heats has brought everyone else back into contention and my guy probably holds the key to the race the way the draws panned out with his racing pattern,” Brett said.

“Coming up with box two I’ll be hoping he can beat Kiss And Spin out in the one, but the way he races where he gets off at the first turn could cause some carnage.

If he can survive it he could see himself out in front but he could be his own victim as well, there’s a lot of ifs and buts.”

No-one has been in more Queensland feature finals than Tony Brett, and the trainer has a good track record of sorting a race out but admitted he was struggling with this field.

“I like to try to get a pretty good read on a finals field but this one is really tough,” he said.

“Winning form is good form for Darren (Russell) with Oski, but you’re jumping from Novice Class and inside draws to box six with speedy beginners around - you’re not sure how she’ll handle that pressure.”

“Hara’s Clyde’s litter mate Hara’s Panda is one of those dogs who can go in the 5.4 range early and will be right up there near the lead at the first turn, I’ve just got to hope the penny drops for my bloke.”

Despite a string of strong results recently - including a Capalaba Cup win and second in the Brisbane Young Guns - Brett is still bemused about Clyde’s form around Albion Park, and with his talent he could be going a lot quicker.

“He’s a bit of a head scratcher at Albion Park, he’s just never looked fully comfortable in his racing there and even though he’s won there in 29.94,” Brett said.

“I know how good he is and he should be going a lot quicker than that.

“He seems to get around Ipswich a lot better, evidenced by his 30.12 effort there early on, you’d think it that would transfer to around 29.6 at Albion and he’s never got near that.

“For some reason he prefers the tighter turning track than the spacious Albion Park, I’ve just got to persevere with him.

“What he’s done so far is great, but you want to fulfil a dog’s full potential and he needs to learn how to get around Albion Park because that’s where our big races are up here.”

Brett said the flashes of brilliance were still there but being so close to knocking over a big race when he knows the dog can improve is grinding his gears.

“The thing that’s frustrating me the most is seeing him put himself in winning positions and not capitalising on it,” he said.

“Obviously there’s no shame running second to Oh Mickey in the Young Guns Final, but in last week’s heat he looked like he was going to challenge Oski and ran wide at the first turn.

“He was run down late by dogs who are traditionally a lot slower home than him in the Young Guns heats.

“His talent is carrying him a long way getting him into these Black Type finals, but we want that key to take him to the next level.”

Brett recently took the dog to Capalaba where against the odds he beat the track specialists to win the Listed Capalaba Cup, and while Brett was rapt with the result his full concentration was on the Albion Park 520 moving forward.

“We went on a hit and run mission to try to win the Capalaba Cup with him and came up trumps, in what was a huge effort but since returning he’s started to experience cramps for the first time and just isn’t 100%,” he said.

“I see him as an Albion Park Group dog and that’s going to by my sole focus going forward to get as many runs under his belt at the track as we can and try to figure out where he’s going wrong.

“What he’s done at other tracks is special, if he can reproduce that at headquarters then we’re talking a Group 1 chaser.”