‘Best ever’ night the perfect medicine for North Queensland trainer

By Pat McLeod

When North Queensland trainer Heath Ardle thinks about his best night in greyhound racing, front of mind is a combination of mateship and the kennel of dogs that have pulled him through a tough time.

On Tuesday night Ardle had the lead on four winners and a second at the Townsville meeting.

“That was my most successful night ever,” he says.

“I thought a few of the dogs had good chances on the night if they had a bit of luck, but that result was certainly above my expectation. They were all boxed where they wanted to be and the track was good.

“How did I feel after the four winners? I felt bloody tired. So, a good night and I felt good, but it was probably more the case of ‘I only have about three hours sleep before I have to go back to work’. It was rewarding because it has been a bit of a tough time of late.

“I have had a fair bit going on in my life over the past month, so it was nice to get a good outcome with the dogs.”

Ardle is classic country. He has worked hard for his ‘best night’, but isn’t comfortable talking about his success.

The ‘hard times’ he also keeps close to his chest.

He manages a 500-acre property on the Burdekin River just out of Ayr (90km south of Townsville), growing corn and pumpkins for the big supermarket chains.

But, the rains have come at the wrong time recently.

“We certainly didn't need this rain over recent weeks,” he explains.

“When the corn is ready, we harvest two semi-trailer loads of corn every day. And, it has to be harvested when it is ready.

“Also, my wife (Michelle) has been unwell recently, but she is on the mend now and is back at work. She is a school teacher in Ayr.”

Ardle says Tuesday night’s wins certainly lifted his spirits, but he says ‘mateship’ has been just as important.

“It has been helpful to have good mates like (fellow trainer and owner) Mark Parkland, who has given me a hand. He always helps me out,” Ardle said.

“Having good mates around keeps you going.”

On Tuesday night Ardle’s winners came in race one – Bilinga Beach ($2.30); race nine - Mali’s Whitey ($18); race eleven – Pistols At Dawn ($5.50); and race twelve – Jimmy Roo ($1.85).

He also placed second in race ten with Baguette.

His first three winners, Ardle describes as ‘good, honest performers’, however he has a high opinion of last race winner, youngster Jimmy Roo, who has three wins and two placings from his five starts.

The Orson Allen - Kisses For Cloda chaser is owned by high profile South East Queensland trainer and breeder Tony Apap, who Ardle has had a lengthy association with.

“Tony just sent Jimmy Roo up to me and said, ‘Just do your best with him,” Ardle said.

“Tony trusts me to do the best I can with the dog. I believe that potentially he's good enough to go back down to the city and win races.

“For a young dog to come out and run 21.59 seconds (over Townsville’s 380 metres) like he has then he is quite smart.

“We will probably just keep him over the 380 metres for a while. He's just a very good dog. Trains himself and is a good kennel dog. He is probably one of the quickest dogs I have had.”

Ardle, who has been training for about a decade, has a kennel of 11 race dogs, but says he has nothing in line for this year’s upcoming Townsville Cup with heats on August 18 before the Final on August 25.

He has placed second in that feature, with Swap Ya in 2017, who was narrowly beaten by Tom Tzouvelis’ Gadsby’s Road.

First prize money back then was $25,200. This year it is $75,000.