Attard adamant Sir Pantsalot is no long shot in Bundaberg Cup

By Isaac Murphy

It’s been 15 years since Renald Attard had taken a dog to Bundaberg, but the well named Sir Pantsalot had all the traits to figure in the Bundaberg Cup Heats last Monday.

With a strong mix of speed and strength ideal for the distance, the dog didn’t let his trainer down, running a strong third to give himself a shot at Monday’s $25,000 Listed final.

The trainer’s only regret was that he didn’t show a little more faith in the long shot.

“He’s a strong 500-metre dog and gets the 600 easily as well, so I thought the 550 metres up there would be pretty ideal for him,” Attard said.

“I saw he was paying $17 from box one in his heat and thought that was a pretty good each-way price, so I jumped on him early.

“I was feeling pretty happy with myself after he ran third until someone told me he paid $81, I was still rapt with the run but I couldn’t believe the price.”

The dog’s dramatic drift in betting could have had a lot to do with him having his first look at the unique Bundaberg circuit, along with the presence of track record holder Waddling Witch and prolific winner Flying Jet in his heat, but he handled it with aplomb.

“First time at the track up against dogs like Flying Jet and Waddling Witch - one of which holds the track record - it was a pretty hot race and to handle it at a track than can be difficult, it was an impressive run,” Attard said.

“There are some really sharp corners there, it’s certainly not for everyone; I know Darren Johnstone had a lot of problems with Federal Morgan and his other dogs getting around the track and they’d had a post-to-post a week earlier.

“Sir Pantsalot is a mad railer and box one was the key to his run; he ran third in his heat, but he was actually the third quickest qualifier as well, the other heat was significantly slower.”

Attard is nervously awaiting the box draw, knowing if he can come up with the coveted red it’ll go a long way to giving him a genuine shot at the race.

“If we’re able to draw the red again or one of the inside boxes I give him a huge chance of causing a bit of an upset, he’ll only improve second up at the track while the others have done plenty of racing there,” he said.

“He’s a different dog on the fence, throw his form out the window if he draws inside as he does everything just that little bit better.

“I’d say Flying Jet is probably the biggest danger out of the lot of them, he knows the track and has the box speed to get across to the fence early, I’ll be hoping he draws somewhere in the middle and has to run on because if we can lead I think we can win.”

Attard was contacted by Sir Pantsalot’s owner mid-way through his career looking for a trainer to reign in a dog that had proven tough to train, and the partnership has been a roaring success thus far.

“Scott Buckland had Sir Pantsalot before he came to me, he was a bit of a tough dog to train; a very moody and Scott (Buckland) suggested to the owner Steve Moss he bring him to me to have a shot,” Attard said.

“Steve and his wife explained to me they were first time owners and were looking for someone to handle the dog and I said why not, he’s still pretty grumpy but I get him on the walker at home and he lets some steam off - I’ve started to figure him out.

“They’re great owners, let you go about it your own way and they’re over the moon to see him in a listed Final.

“They’ve actually just bought three Zambora Brockie/Spring Out pups off us, so hopefully we get some more success for them.”

With 78 starts under the belt, the dog is no spring chicken, but with Attard’s record of getting the most out of aging dogs, connections are in for plenty more fun.

“He’s approaching 42 months, so I’m hopeful he’ll be my next masters dog after all the success we’ve had with Belvedere Babe - I think she holds the record with eight wins in that class,” he said.

“They’re very similar to each other strength wise, the obvious difference is Belvedere Babe likes to run wide and he’s a railer.

“We managed to keep her fit and healthy well over four years of age and he should hold together too.

“It’s a great initiative the masters events, dogs get to race in their right class and the prize money on a Thursday night at Albion Park is fantastic.”