Franklin rapt to be given one more shot at the ‘big time’

By Pat McLeod

Ipswich trainer Grant Franklin knows all about unfulfilled potential.

In fact, it’s the reason he is living his dream leading into Thursday night’s $225,000 Group 1 Ipswich Gold Cup Final over 520 metres with his sporting highlight, Get Carter.

Franklin doesn’t fixate on the $150,000-to-the-winner first prize booty or the Group 1 prestige.

With the race on repeat in his head he just sees one thing.

“I can't get the race out of my head, but not in a bad way,” he says.

“I am nervous and anxious and excited all at once, but as I said, not in a bad way.

“I can see him (Get Carter) having a really big run and people will see, maybe all of us can see, what he really can do.

“He deserves to be in this company. Whether that is first, second, or wherever. All I know is that he will have a good run, no matter what happens.

“The most important thing is that he will get his chance.”

The 58-year-old, who is now retired as a grandfather and hobby trainer, has plenty of time these days to reflect on missed chances.

In his teens he was an emerging athletics and rugby league star in Ipswich.

One of his good mates was another youngster showing potential. A kid named Dale Shearer.

Both teens were quick and try-scoring machines in local rugby league.

On the athletics track Franklin was quicker.

Shearer headed north to Sarina and his league career blossomed.

He went on to play 26 State Of Origin games for Queensland and 20 Tests for Australia.

Shearer boasted a wide playing skill-set, but his most potent weapon was his blistering pace.

He retired at 33 years of age as a rugby league champion.

As a 19-year-old Franklin headed west to Mount Isa and also found rugby league success, playing for Mount Isa in the prestigious Foley Shield competition.

However, too much of a good time curtailed his chances of major sporting success.

“For the first three years I was in Mount Isa I had a real ball,” he says.

“Then I married and had a child and decided I needed to settle down.”

By 23 he was retired from football.

“I guess I am disappointed that I didn't pursue my rugby league career and go as far as I could have in that sport,” he says.

“I believe I could have been successful, a lot more successful. But, I lacked confidence. I underrated myself.”

Franklin has long come to terms with that missed sporting opportunity but is determined history won’t repeat with Get Carter.

The Bernardo and Abby Boom chaser is not one of the fancied chances in the Ipswich club’s first ever Group 1 event, but this time around Franklin has confidence and belief.

He believes his big-finishing greyhound now shares those same convictions.

“I would say right now he (Get Carter) is at the peak of his career,” he said.

“He has so much more race knowledge now, especially in relation to finding the best spots to be during a race. He is a lot more confident in his whole racing pattern.

“In his last few runs he appears to be exactly where he should be. He seems to know exactly what he is doing, getting to a good spot to launch for his run to the line.

“He seems to get to the right position and then wait for the perfect moment to make that final charge.

“It has taken this dog a long time to reach the level that he is now. Now he has all the confidence in the world.”

Franklin isn’t fazed by the quality of dogs in Thursday night’s showdown – including favourite Bear’s Bullet (trained by Travis Elson), a tenacious Group-class performer, track record holder Blue Hornet (Ray Burman) and exciting youngster King Of Aces (Colin Graham).

He says that despite his dog’s 56 starts (10 wins and 27 placings for $77,150), he is still to show his best.

And, Franklin believes the best dogs will bring out the best in his charger.

Approaching this year’s Brisbane winter carnival Get Carter caused interested murmurings when he beat this Thursday night’s favourite Bear’s Bullet in a QGOLD Emerging Sprinters race.

“I've watched him since he came back from the spell after the winter carnival and he's just showing so much more,” Franklin said of his dog.

“It's just amazing what he can do sometimes.

“I believe he could be a 30.10 second dog (at Ipswich). But, he needs the dog who can run that time so that will spur him on, to push him to those sorts of times. He needs a fast dog to chase. He needs somebody like a Bear’s Bullet to bring out the best in him.”

Whatever the outcome, Franklin is just rapt that he and his dream dog will get their chance.

“I have been trying to get to this position for 30 years,” he said.

“Now here it is.”