Postmans Ridge and Schmidt keen for hot start

By Jordan Gerrans

Postmans Ridge trainer Craig Schmidt thinks he will know the result of kennel star Borneo Bandit’s race on Thursday night just a few strides after the boxes fly open.

The black dog is a popular one with punters who focus in on Queensland greyhound racing, regularly starting short in the market on the back of his electric speed from the starting position.

The son of Aston Dee Bee is a 20-time career winner and makes the step up in competition this Thursday night, contesting the Lightning Final over the short and sharp 331 metre scamper.

Borneo Bandit has most recently raced on Sunday’s and Monday’s at headquarters in Brisbane of late and this week head’s towards the 2022 TAB Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival.

With the wide draw of eight for Thursday evening, Schmidt says if Borneo Bandit does not jump with or ahead of the field, then his chances of victory are likely to be slim.

From the seven alley on Monday night in the heats, Borneo Bandit was slightly slow away and had to race wide as Flick's Buck – who has drawn box four for Thursday night - was aided by the rails run and eventually prevailed in a close finish.

“He has been up for a while and that has sort of taken the edge of his jumping from the boxes,” Schmidt said of Borneo Bandit. 

“He seems to work into his races now instead of spearing out of the boxes.

“He has just lost a bit of that spark in the beginning; he looks perfect and is going well but he just missed it on Monday night.

“I can’t find anything wrong to put my finger on it.”

The Schmidt kennel is a well-followed one by punters, with Borneo Bandit regularly starting his races as the favourite or being odds-on.

In the dog’s nine races in Queensland this year, the longest price he has started is $3.30.

The smiling trainer is not sure exactly why the punters love his kennel so much.

“All our dogs are always short in the market, maybe it is because they jump really well, but we do not ever seem to be able to get a bet on because everyone takes the odds,” he said.

“We seem to be always odds on.

“When he pings, they will never catch him as when he hits the front then that is it.

“He always runs really good sectionals.

“If he is on song, this race is winnable.”

The Darling Downs-based kennel breed and rear the majority of the dogs they race, including the four that are currently in the team.

Borneo Bandit is out of a litter from Jay Bay Queen – who the family raced – with the retired bitch winning twice from her eight career starts.

Borneo Bandit has seen plenty of Australia over the last year, racing up north in Townsville, as well as a recent trip to Grafton in NSW.

He race second in a heat of The Thunderbolt in northern NSW before bowing out of the series in a semi-final seven days later.

During the North Queensland journey last year, Borneo Bandit performed well in the Townsville Sprint series lead-up races before having no luck in the Final.

“He has just been a bit unlucky not to take out a few of those better races,” Schmidt said, while noting his dog handles the travel well.

“He only had the one trial at Grafton – we would have liked to have a few more because it was a new track to him – but he handled it well.

“In Townsville, he won the heats but in the Final, he just missed it a bit and got taken out and that was the end of it.”

Borneo Bandit’s litter sister - Flaming Rose –  has also ticked past the 20 win mark and is working on making her way to back to the races.

The fellow short course speedster is coming back from an injury concern and has not faced the starter since early April of this year.

“She has been trialling the house down,” Schmidt said.

The kennel also recently debuted a newcomer – Transient – who got the money as a short-priced favourite late last week at Ipswich.

The $57,500 Group 3 Garrard’s Superstayers Invitational over 710 metres will headline racing at Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club on Thursday night.

The supporting card includes the Group 3 $60,000 TAB Supersprinters over 520 metres, $18,700 Garrard’s Tempest over 600 metres, $18,700 BGRC Chairman’s Trophy over 710 metres along with the $18,700 TAB Thunder and Lightning Finals over the shorter course journeys.