Bye Bye Raider aiming for Nationals upset

By Jordan Gerrans

NSW owner Greg Watts has tasted Group racing glory in the Sunshine State around the circle and now he is seeking to do so with a Queensland-trained dog interstate up a straight track.

Watts races Bye Bye Raider with Logan Reserve trainer Jamie McHugh who will be aiming to cause an upset in Saturday’s Group 3 National Straight Track Championship in Victoria.

Bye Bye Raider snuck into the national decider by running second to Tom Tzouvelis’ Valhalla in the Queensland Straight Track Championship Final at Capalaba earlier this month.

While Valhalla is in the market – judged as a $9.50 shot as of Thursday afternoon – McHugh’s Bye Bye Raider is as much as $67 with bookmakers.

Regardless of the result in Saturday’s $28,000 Final, Watts and McHugh will be smiling about what their dog has achieved so far.

The red brindle dog is a son of champion Bago Bye Bye.

Bago Bye Bye retired as a two-time Group 1 champion, headlined by a Gold Cup in the middle of 2019 at Albion Park.

Bye Bye Raider is unlikely to reach the heights of his old man but the team behind the nine-time career winner from 23 efforts are happy with what he is producing.

“I would like to have ten dogs like him,” Watts said.

“He has won just over $30,000 now and the litter do not owe me anything.

“There is a lot of litters that do not earn that much and he has done it himself.” 

McHugh – who hails from Coonamble in NSW – rates Bye Bye Raider as the quickest greyhound he has ever put a collar on.

”I do not know if he has the ability that his father had but he is certainly a very fast animal,” McHugh said.

“He is one of the fastest dogs I have trained in my 25 year-career.”

Bago Bye Bye did his elite level racing with Darren Russell out of Innisplain and Watts has spread out his litter with Zipping Astra amongst several trainers.

McHugh is not the biggest name trainer in Queensland and that is how Watts likes it.

“He is a beauty Jamie, he is a great guy to talk to and he always has time to speak about the dogs,” Watts said.

“He is doing a fantastic job with the dog and I couldn’t complain at all.

“I like to send my dogs to trainers who have five or so dogs instead of 20 or 30 in their kennel, they seem to have more time for the dogs.”

McHugh is chuffed to reach the Final of his first feature straight race of his career.

The builder trained greyhounds to top three finishes in the Ipswich Cup and Queensland Derby earlier in his tenure in the industry.

“For me and my son Harrison, it is an enormous thing and we are extremely excited,” McHugh said of reaching the Nationals Final. 

“We are proud of the achievement.” 

While the market suggests the Queensland hopeful has little chance in Saturday’s Final, McHugh is more confident than the price suggests.

The dog has been in Victoria since last Friday and trialled on the Healesville surface in 19.34 seconds.

“I think the bookmakers are selling him a little short,” the trainer said.

“From out there in eight, he just needs an ounce of luck.”

Watts believes Bye Bye Raider is not suited by the eight alley.

“I do not like the draw very much but he is one in eight chance so we will see how we go,” Watts said.

“I think Jason Thompson’s dog will be hard to beat and so will Tom Tzouvelis’ one, Tom’s dog has beaten him a couple of times now.

“He is in it and anything can happen in greyhound racing as we know.”