Rivals can’t touch All Hands Off

By Isaac Murphy

Whilst the Summer Carnival came to a spectacular end last week, greyhound racing rolled on Thursday night at Albion Park with break out performers maintaining their form, as well as new faces on the scene making an impression.

There were plenty of dogs to follow as the build up to the Winter Carnival begins.

The most intrigue came around Northern Rivers bitch All Hands Off trained by Fred Swain, who had been off the scene for four months after being struck down by injury in the Lismore Cup Final, but she didn’t miss a beat first-up demolishing the toughest field of the night in 29.85 seconds.

“It’s as much a relief as anything, she had a few setbacks in her rehab but I’ve taken my time with her and she looked life her old self out there tonight,” Swain said.

“It’s a long time to be off the scene and I didn’t want to rush her back into any of the Group races over summer, this is a nice starting point and something to build on.

“The smaller field helped her but when she got around that first corner in second and loomed up in second, I was pretty happy, and she let down accordingly.”

The daughter of Barcia Bale and Faye’s Magic boasts a brilliant 16 wins from 24 starts and has long been touted for Group success, and Swain is hoping she can get a good few months of racing in her before the Winter Carnival.

“If she were to retire today, she’d of had a wonderful career but there’s definitely more in her - I’d love to nab a signature race,” Swain said.

“The plan is to race here sparingly in the lead up to the Winter Carnival, picking and choosing when she needs a let up and when she’s ripe to go.

“It was tough sitting at home watching the Golden Ticket and Gold Bullion and thinking I’d love her to be apart of that, hopefully she gets her chance.”

Darren Johnstone makes it a double

Local trainer Darren Johnstone continues to make waves at Albion Park after an impressive double with Maggie Moo Moo breaking out of the 700-metre start, along with Truthiness in the sprint.

Maggie Moo Moo continues to surprise the trainer with her staying ability - bred to maybe get the 500 - and she’s flourished over the 600 and 700-metre starts, notching her first win over the latter.

“I was concerned she might be a bit flat after a really tough run in the Gold Cup last week, it was only her third 700 and I thought there might be a letdown,” Johnstone said.

“I saw there was a fifth grade over the trip and just gave her a really light week and she’s responded really well to it; she’s been up for a long time and doesn’t look like tapering off.

“I wanted to see her win over the 700 and now she’s done it that’s where she’ll stay, she’s still got a Fifth Grade up her sleeve and we’ll go from there.”

Truthiness has been indicative of a lot of Johnstone’s dogs who are converting Ipswich form to Albion, and when the powerful type landed second the rest was academic.

“It took a while for him to find his feet around here, he’d get lost at the first turn and drift off the fence down the back but we’ve just persisted and he’s come around,” Johnstone said.

“I’ve been throwing him in 395-metre races on a Monday just to sharpen his box manners up and it seems to have done the job.

“He’s gone 29.84 here in the past and if he can keep putting himself in positions like he did tonight I think he’ll knock that over soon.”

Big Nose Johnny solidifies middle-distance credentials

Jamie McHugh’s Big Nose Johnny continued to pad his stats over the middle-distance, recording his sixth win from the 600-metre boxes in bold front-running fashion, with the dog racing for just the fourth time since July last year.

“We’ve had our share of dramas with him over the last six months, but from what he’s been showing us we thought he was ready to go but only over the 431 at Ipswich,” McHugh said.

“He got pulverised at the first turn there and I thought this is no good for his confidence - he’s probably short of a run but let’s get him back to his favourite trip.

“I thought he was going to stop coming around the home turn, but that’s a pretty brave effort considering the circumstances.”

Brother Jason repays the faith

The hype around Peter Sullivan’s Brother Jason leading into the Dave Brett last November was enormous, after the pup had trialled in 29.7 in preparation and was a clear series favourite.

Unfortunately, he left punters and his trainer scratching their heads as he raced erratically on and was suspended by stewards shortly thereafter.

Sullivan left multiple offers from the big money kennels of Victoria on the table to keep the dog and was rapt to see him win his Novice well underdone.

“All the work we’ve been doing with him since his last run is to just educate him and make sure he’s got his mind on the job this time in,” Sullivan said.

“I was hoping he’d just get around safe tonight, but he’s done a great job to get across from the seven when he wants the rail and run away from them late off no hard work.

“We know his potential, this is only a small step but it’s an important one in getting him to where we know he can be.”