Tommy Shelby touches down in Queensland

By Isaac Murphy

Steve Withers’ Western Australian star Tommy Shelby is the rockstar of Australian greyhound racing at present.

The trainer brings the newly anointed Group 1 champion to Brisbane where he’s landed for a three-week campaign, starting with the Group 3 Golden Ticket and hopefully finishing with the Group 1 Gold Bullion.

The dog has been on the road since October, finishing third in the Million Dollar Chase Final, third again in the Melbourne Cup and finally scoring his elusive Group 1 last start in the Hobart Thousand, and Withers is still coming to terms with it all.

“Being on the Group 1 circuit, you see a lot of dogs who deserve Group 1 wins and don’t get one, he’s been knocking on the door and to be one of the lucky ones to grab one in the Hobart Thousand is still pretty surreal,” he said.

“I never thought he would get near a track record as well, he’s a dog with a stack of heart and fight - not necessarily the straight out fastest - but he only just missed in Hobart.

“He’s got a bit of swagger about him and he’s a bit of a cool cat when he fronts up now -  it hasn’t always been the case - but he’s the ultimate professional and he’ll need to be after a light couple of weeks before we ramp things up in Queensland.”

Like most dogs, Tommy had his vices with travel at first, but with a constant companion in Withers he takes it all in his stride.

“He was a bit of a handful to travel with at first, but he’s been on the road the last few months; I always travel with him, so I know what makes him tick and he handles it all pretty well now,” he said.

“In the end we thought why wouldn’t we come to Queensland, it’s a renowned carnival in a state that produces super dogs, so while he’s happy and healthy lets try to make the most of this window.

“Once they’re retired, they’re retired for life, we’ve been very lucky to have a once in a lifetime dog come along and we want him to be involved in series like the Golden Ticket and the Gold Bullion.”

Withers always does his due diligence before pulling the trigger on a trip from the West Coast, and the trainer and dog arrive in the Sunshine State more than a week before the Golden Ticket heats.

“We’re already on the ground here in Queensland, we had a recommendation to stay with Brent Kline and he’s been happy to take us in; a massive thanks to Brent giving us every chance to prepare for Thursday week,” Withers said.

“All the tracks we’ve been to I make sure to get a trial in first, I think it’s a bit disrespectful to the local dogs to just show up and expect to win, so he’s booked in to go for a trial which will tell me exactly where he’s at.

“It’s been a bit of a surprise how he’s handled all the different tracks, obviously a Hobart is very different to a Wentworth Park but he’s shown he can go super on both, we’re hoping we can add Albion Park to that list.”

The Group 1 Gold Bullion was always on Tommy Shelby’s list, but the addition of the Golden Ticket last year convinced Withers a complete Queensland preparation was the way to go.

“We thought about going to Sydney for the Paws of Thunder and then coming to Brisbane for the Gold Bullion, but the chance to settle in for a three-week stint in Queensland and get a shot to go straight through to a Group 1 final was too good to pass up,” Withers said.

“Coming off the time he’s run at Hobart, I’m hoping he can be down around the track record up here as well.

“It’s going to be his first 500-metre run since he finished third in the Melbourne Cup over a month ago and strong dogs like Sentenced are going to be tough to beat.

“Even if he doesn’t get the ticket, he gets a hitout against his competition in the Gold Bullion heats, where I think he’s arguably better in a full field with his race sense.

“We’ve got two bites at the cherry and that could be the difference when you’re talking fine margins.”

Not one to take the credit, Withers isn’t all that comfortable with the microscope Tommy Shelby carries wherever he goes but is happy to share the ride with the public.

“To put in bluntly, the following he has is weird from my perspective, I just look after the dog and stay in that little bubble, but I certainly have my moments where I’m pretty humbled by the attention he gets,” he said.

“I think Tommy enjoys all the bright lights and fans a bit more than I do, I’m just the bloke who’s been lucky enough to train him.

“He’s changed my life; never did I think I’d be travelling around the country with a dog with all the ability and personality you could ever ask for and if he’s making others happy while he’s at it then that’s a bonus.”