Fedor firms for Straight to the Creek Final

By Isaac Murphy

Trainer Ray Plimmer’s dog Fedor has made a name for himself as a Capalaba specialist, working his way to Third Grade company where he meets the fastest straight track dogs we have to offer.

While Capalaba has been a blessing, the dog was set for a career around the circle before bad habits crept in.

Now, 20 starts later, Fedor has matured immensely and is ready to tackle the 500 metres at Albion Park tonight in the Straight to The Creek Final.

“We would have liked to have raced him around the circle a lot more but we had a bit of trouble with him early on at Ipswich, he led by three lengths after the first turn and waited for the rest of the field,” Plimmer said.

“That was way back in December last year at just his fourth race start, we’ve kept him pretty much solely at Capalaba since then and think he’s well and truly got that out of his system.

“We’ve trialled him four times over the 395 metres at Albion Park and he’s broken 23 seconds every time, so I thought the Straight to The Creek race would give him the best chance first-up over the 520 against dogs of similar class.”

Plimmer said the wide draw should suit the quick beginner, who’s unproven over the trip but his bloodlines say he should get the journey.

“The seven is not a bad draw for him, when he draws wide up the straight he likes to work his way across to the inside and with his early speed I think he should either be able to lead or sit outside Jamie Hosking’s dog Power Point Diva in box one,” he said.

“I’m confident he’ll run about 480 metres really strong, it’s going to be that last 40 to the line where he might just feel the pinch.

“He’s out of an Aussie Infrared/Lonely Knight line that generally produces strong 500-metre dogs; his brother is Ebby Infrared who has won 25 races around tracks like Richmond and Wentworth Park down in New South Wales, so we’re hoping he develops a stronger finish with a few more runs.”

Plimmer and Fedor had a crack at the Straight to The Creek race a few months ago but ran into a handy one, and the trainer thinks this week’s Final is a much more even affair.

“He qualified for the Straight to The Creek race a while back where we came up against Hara’s Panda who was running 29.7 and went on to win the Townsville Cup, we were a bit stiff there,” he said.

“Fedor is a Third Grade dog at Capalaba which translates to a Fifth Grade Thursday night dog where you constantly see winners coming out and running 29.8, where we shouldn’t have to compete with anything like that in this race.”

While Plimmer would rather not have had to deal with the dog’s early ticket, it may have been a blessing in disguise as he made his way at Capalaba.

“At the time it wasn’t ideal to have to take him to Capalaba and educate him up the straight, we originally planned to go there for 10 runs, lose his ticket and get back to the circle but he was going so well we decided to stay on,” he said.

“He always seems to draw off the track there when he wants the inside, he’s run some huge races there where he’s been checked by multiple dogs on his way across and he’s still managed six wins and twelve minors from 21 starts.

“The biggest takeaway is he hasn’t looked like turning his head, it’s been quite the opposite - a lot of his wins have been fairly tight and he’s stuck his neck out on the line, he’s found that will to win.”

With maturity on his side, Plimmer said now was the time to see if he had a good straight dog or a versatile chaser.

“Going forward he’ll probably be looking at a mix between Albion Park and Capalaba racing, if he struggles a bit over the 500 then we’ll drop him back to the 395, which should really suit and we know he goes well at Capalaba,” Plimmer said.

“The long-term goal is definitely the 500 metres but having just his second start over the distance it might take a while but it’s very exciting seeing him expand his horizons.

“He’s at the right age and is racing in good enough form so now was the time to pull the trigger and try something different with him while he’s still got plenty of racing in him.”

The progeny of Aussie Infrared and Lonesome Knight is a rare breed in Queensland, with Plimmer bringing him along with his young family up to Queensland last year.

“I bought Fedor down at the Richmond Puppy Auction where I’ve lived for most of my life and brought him up here when I made the move to Queensland about 18 months ago, you won’t see many with his lines up here,” he said.

“I worked as a lure driver at the Richmond dog track and as a part-time country race caller, I’ve been lucky enough to call a few meetings on Sky at Bathurst and Bulli, but since I’ve moved up here I’ve become a hobby trainer out of our residential back yard.

“I’ve just got the three in work but between them and my daughter, it keeps me pretty busy.”