Wendy’s warm-up a heart-in-the-mouth moment for Danny

By Pat McLeod

For just over 22 seconds on Saturday morning at the Townsville Showgrounds, Danny Preh’s heart was in his mouth.

His kennel star Plum Tuckered and her faithful sidekick, Spitfire Rhodes, were being sent around in a 380 metre sprint, a warm-up to the City Council Mayors Trophy Final over 498 metres on Tuesday night.

Last Tuesday the kennel mates had run first (Plum Tuckered) and third in the North Queensland Cup feature and have drawn perfectly (boxes one and two) this Tuesday.

Preh was uneasy when the box draw came out for Saturday morning’s program.

“Saturday was all about a fitness hit-out for both dogs before Tuesday’s Mayors Trophy,” Preh explains.

“Wendy (Plum Tuckered) drew the one, which unfortunately is not good for her in the 380 metre races at Townsville. From those boxes she needs to be wider. I knew that every dog would be charging across to the rail. And, that is what happened.”

As Preh looked on nervously, his fears were realized as Plum Tuckered faced a wall of dogs vying for the same rails run.

“It was a bit messy and I have to admit during the run I had second thoughts about having entered them in the race,” he continued.

“But, as she does, Wendy kept fighting back and ran third with Spitfire Rhodes fifth.

“Luckily everybody has come out OK and Plum Tuckered has pulled up really well.”

Preh has a much more confident aura going into Tuesday night’s $5,005-to-the-winner Mayors Trophy showdown.

“The box draw, box one for Plum Tuckered and two for Spitfire Rhodes, is absolutely perfect,” Preh said.

“I can't ask for a better draw. It is all up to them now. I whinge about box draws all the time, saying that she needs the inside draw in a 498 metre race. Well now she has it.

“Flynn (Spitfire Rhodes) doesn't really like the rail, so hopefully he will give her the perfect run and he will run his normal honest, best race. If Wendy misses the start, like we know she can, Flynn will just run his honest race and if it jams behind him and he is able to get away, well, he might surprise.

“My Mate Neo (trained by Greta Thomson and jumping out of box six), is probably the strongest run-on dog out of the rest of the field. He is the one that is the big danger if close enough.

“But, of course, as you know, anything can happen in a dog race. I just hope they both jump well, are head-to-head and she is a much stronger finisher than he is.”

Preh, whose small kennel is based in the outer Townsville suburb of Kelso, has had great success with the former South East Queensland-based Plum Tuckered, culminating in last week’s North Queensland Cup win.

“As far as Tuesday night goes, she really is in a class of her own at the moment,” Preh said.

“If she gets out, it will be a battle for second and third because she is a brilliant little chaser and the great thing about her, is she keeps coming no matter what happens.

“Normally, if a dog gets checked, especially a bitch, often they will pull out of the race, but not her, she just keeps coming. She never gives in.

“We have certainly worked on that aspect of her racing by doing a lot of lure work with her. Saturday was a classic example, she found trouble and was probably 10 lengths behind the leader, but then just kept coming back.

“She flew home and finished third, beaten by a length and a half.”

Preh currently has just four race dogs in his kennels, but whatever the number, each gets special one-on-one time with him every night.

“I am the type of trainer that does gives a lot of time to each dog,” he says.

“In the kennels at night the better dogs don't get more attention. I give the same amount of attention to them all.

“So, it can be a lengthy process at night. We go out about 9pm for their last empty out. I spend about 10 minutes with each dog, so it is often about 10.30pm by the time we go back upstairs.

“Then I am in bed about midnight and up at 4.45am the next morning. Sometimes I wonder how I do it.”