Hobby trainer hoping to strike QGOLD in Townsville Final

By Pat McLeod

Townsville hobby trainer Daniel Miles believes his ‘handy little sprinter’ Perfect Pacific can strike QGOLD in Townsville on Tuesday afternoon.

The Keybow and Thrilla Stroke bitch will jump from box three in the QGOLD Open Final over 380 metres against a smart field of sprinters.

“I think she is a good chance if she can jump well,” Miles said. 

“She was first-up last week after a spell of about six weeks and didn’t start as well as she normally does (finishing third behind Brad Belford’s Rio Valour and Tony Parker’s Jackie Chiles).

“I am happy with the draw. She has speed on her outside (Tony Parker’s She’s Some Fox) and her inside (Rio Valour).

“Whoever can get away the quickest and cleanest will most likely go on to win this.”

Perfect Pacific has a record of seven wins and seven placings from 23 starts for a prize money tally of $13,515.

“She is a handy little sprinter who unfortunately has had injury concerns for so long. They have mainly centred around hip support injuries," he said. 

“She is a sprinter and as her sister in Rockhampton (Ring Me) has shown, the litter is at its limit at 400 metres to 450 metres. 

“So, we won’t be looking for any more distance with her.”

The quickest of the heat winners last week was Mali’s Whitey (trained by Heath Ardle – 21.83 seconds). Times for the other heat winners were Rio Valour (21.86 seconds) and Teddy Box (Tony Parker – 22.16 seconds).

Miles is a big fan of the QGOLD concept - races specifically for Queensland-bred dogs.

“I think it is a really good concept,” Miles said of QGOLD. 

“It really is an incentive to breed here rather than seeking dogs from interstate and that is only going to lead to more local breeding and better quality local races.”

The 41-year-old Miles, who runs his own spray painting business, has been involved in greyhound racing almost all his life.

“I caught the bug from my grandmother, Beryl Miles, who is well-known in greyhound circles in North Queensland,” he said.

“She still has an interest in our dogs that are racing.

“I have always been and will continue to be a hobby trainer. I have just the two dogs at the moment and that is the way I like it.

“For me, more than that and it becomes too much of a chore and the enjoyment goes out of it.

“I have mainly just trained give-aways over the years and so have not had any really big race wins, but have won a couple of Young Guns.

“Prize money overall is very good these days, especially when races like this come along.”