Promising Call Me Rip desperate for inside draw

By Jordan Gerrans

Gatton trainer Tony Apap is looking forward to a time when his consistent greyhound Call Me Rip can regularly draw an inside box.

Despite his glut of outside box draws in recent weeks, the Daniel Henry-owned and bred dog took out a heat of the Molly Campbell Silver Dollars series on Thursday evening at Albion Park – and you guessed it, he has drawn wide for next Thursday’s $17,800 feature Final.

Call Me Rip caused one of the upsets of the evening on Thursday, relegating Tony Brett’s star Indictment to third place over 520 metres, with the Apap dog claiming the heat by just under a length.

In the greyhound’s last eight trips to the races, he has draw inside five on just one occasion – a statistic which has frustrated the Gatton trainer.

“He has been unlucky, it is always the same story – he wants the inside but cannot draw the inside,” Apap, who was shocked his chaser went around at $26 on Thursday night, said.

“I would like to see him on the inside but having said that, he is a very smart and intelligent dog in the field and can manoeuvre himself pretty well, which is a big help for him.

“The start before at Ipswich, he was drawn out wide again and it took him off the track, which cost him the race.

“He has just been unlucky; the dog has ability. Hopefully he can start stringing a few together.”

After winning his heat in a time of 30.20 seconds from the seven alley, Call Me Rip, out of a Fernando Bale and Simply An Angel litter, again drew the black rug for Thursday’s Final.

With only 20 career starts on his resume, Apap has high hopes for Call Me Rip, declaring he can run 29.80 seconds on his best night.

“It is going to be very hard where we are again, to get across from there,” Apap said.

“The favourites have drawn well in one and two, it is going to be tough but he is in the race so he is a chance.

“He is a big dog, with a bit of time hopefully he can start putting a few together and we can draw nicely, which will help.”

The Apap has a few dogs owned and bred by Henry.

On his farm at Gatton, Apap has eight race dogs in work, as well as a few young ones coming through, with his kennel a family operation with his wife and daughter also helping out.

Apap also rears dogs for other trainers and people, as well as breeding other types of dogs, on top of greyhounds, at his property.

Other heat winners on Thursday evening were Jedda Cutlack’s Showdown and Light My Flyer, trained by Lyndall Brand.

Showdown has drawn the red rag for next Thursday’s Final from Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club.

Race caller John Brasch detailed the significance of the time-honoured Molly Campbell Silver Dollars series before they jumped in the first of the three heats on Thursday evening.

“Campbell and the family produced the greyhound form guide for all the Queensland tracks and into Northern NSW, until they sold the business off to the greyhound authorities at the time,” Brasch said.

“They became available at that stage, as we know now, on the internet.

“So we honour Molly’s memory each and every year with the Silver Dollars.”

Also at Albion Park on Thursday night, star dog Sequana maintained her unbeaten record over the 600-metre trip – making it seven on the bounce – as she got home by just over a length as the race favourite.