Coup for Ipswich as trainer Jack Smith looks north

By Jordan Gerrans

Champion conditioner Raymond 'Jack' Smith says the stunning prize money on offer for the Group 1 Ipswich Gold Cup series in 2023 has led to his maiden appearance at the track this week.

The Forbes-based Smith is regarded as one of the premier trainers in Australia and industry figures say he is one of the biggest names to ever start a dog at the Ipswich Showgrounds facility.

The experienced dog man heads north with Group 1 National Distance Champion Palawa King as well as Ipswich Gold Cup hopefuls Bella Una and Royal Nangar.

Ipswich Cup heats are on October 26 before the Final on November 2. 

The Ipswich Cup will offer $150,000 to the winner in 2023, with the race also to be contested as a Group 1 event for the first time.

The Smith kennel were engaged in the popular Million Dollar Chase series last week – with Bella Una finishing fifth to Albion Park specialist Jay Is Jay in the Final – and the trainer is now looking forward to heading north.

“It is a lot of money,” Smith said of the upcoming Ipswich features.

“It is unbelievable money.

“We are spoilt when we are running for a million bucks the other day but it is hard to get. There is no doubt that this prize money will attract some good dogs to Ipswich for the series.

“Greyhound racing is going very well in Queensland and they catered for me very well at Albion Park when I have gone before. I will support these carnivals whenever I can.”

Racing Queensland’s Senior Racing Manager for Greyhound’s Brenton Scott believes attracting a trainer of Smith’s quality is a feather in the cap of the Ipswich club.

“It is a real coup to see a trainer of Jack Smith’s calibre making his way to Ipswich for the upcoming Ipswich Gold Cup series,” Scott said.

“Arguably Smith’s Palawa King is one of the best dogs to ever race at the Ipswich track.

“The prize money and Group 1 status of the Ipswich Cup this year is sure to bring in a talented crop of greyhounds from around the country.”

While the prize money and racing is the focus, Smith is keen to see the Ipswich track for the time after racing at Albion Park over the years.

“It is one of the things that attracted to me as I like to get about a bit,” he said.

“That will be good, a bit of fun.”

Bella Una and Royal Nangar will get their first looks at the Ipswich track this Saturday evening when they start in a Prelude ahead of Cup heats. 

Palawa King – this year’s State of Origin Distance winner for NSW – will contest the Prostate Cancer Cup over 630 metres on Saturday in preparation for the Past Members Trophy heats on October 26. 

The Past Members Trophy Final will be held on November 2, with $30,000 going the way of the winner. 

While the veteran trainer thinks Bella Una and Royal Nangar will be competitive in the Cup series, the trip north is more so based around kennel star Palawa King’s program going forward.

He is keen to see the winner of more than $500,000 in career stakes race over 600 metres in consecutive weeks ahead of the upcoming Topgun series.

The reigning Queensland Cup winner also recently raced in the MDC series with the black dog bowing out in the Semi-Finals.

“He is going ok, the Million Dollar Chase series did not pan out as we would have liked but that was on the cards as well as he is a back marker,” the veteran trainer said of Palawa King.

“It would have been a bonus for him to get through, but it did not happen.

“We will run in these 600 metre races and he has been given an invitation to the Topgun so these Ipswich races will lead him up to that. That is the idea.”

Bella Una finished four lengths behind Queensland wonder dog in the MDC Final on Friday evening.

Smith says that if you had told him a month ago that Bella Una would have qualified for the MDC decider, he would have absolutely been blown away.

She was also placed behind kennel mate Royal Nangar in the Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal at Wentworth Park earlier this year.

“They both need the inside really, so we are hoping with that with the draws,” he said.

“Not so much this week, this is more of a trial to have a look at the track in the Preludes.

“Bella Una will want the look at the track. If we can pick up a bit of prize money then that will be great.”