Scott kennel with big Brisbane Cup dreams

By Jordan Gerrans

Just a few years after walking away from a steady painting business and diving head first into the greyhound industry, the Victorian team of Lachlan and Emma Scott believe they have a legitimate Brisbane Cup contender in 2024.

The Tatura-based team started the long drive to the Sunshine State on Wednesday morning with kennel mates Aston Hornet and Play Dirty ahead of their tilt at Thursday’s Young Gun heats at Albion Park.

The dogs have trialed at the Brisbane complex in the lead-up to their first race day outings in Queensland, with Lachlan quietly confident Play Dirty will shape up as a serious 2024 Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival contender.

“Everything going right on Thursday night, I expect him to run 29.70 seconds or better,” Lachlan said.

“That is what I expect of the dog. He ran fast times at Sandown early which led him in most races.”

Lachlan trains in partnership with wife Emma.

Back in 2021, Lachlan was running a painting business while Emma was at home with their children.

They prepared a small team of dogs on the side of their day-to-day commitments.

Around that time, they decided to take the plunge and take on training on a full-time basis.

They purchased a training property at Tatura and went from there.

“We have got some really good owners at the minute,” Lachlan said.

“We are two or three years into this now and I think we are at the stage now where we have the good owners with well-bred dogs.

“That should hopefully set us up for the coming five years, the best is yet to come, I think.”

The team come north with two from their team in the Young Guns heats but Play Dirty is the headline act of the pair.

The Speed Star and Sapphire Ruby chaser is a seven-time winner from 15 attempts across Victoria.

He came north for a trial recently – posting a 30.16 second effort around Albion Park – with the trainer noting his 12.80 second run home filled him with confidence ahead of Thursday’s heat.

Lachlan says Play Dirty has been handed a ‘perfect’ draw for Thursday’s assignment in the two and believes he will have no excuses.

“Play Dirty trialled real super at The Meadows as he was coming back from his injury so that made the decision for us to come up to this race in Brisbane,” Lachlan said.

“His trials have been Group class – if I’m being honest – and now it is about if he can take that next step as a race dog.

“This is a good young dog race for him and if he goes well then we will aim him up to the Brisbane Cup.

“If you don’t aim for these races, you never know.

“I have big hopes for Play Dirty – I think he is going to take that next step and be a really nice dog.”

The $1 million Brisbane Cup is again the highlight of the 2024 Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival with the $650,000 to the winner feature once again drawing the curtain on the nation’s premier Winter Carnival.

Play Dirty is in the curious position of being age-eligible for the Brisbane Young Guns but is slightly too old to compete in the upcoming Flying Amy Classic.

The team had planned to go Young Guns into Flying Amy Classic and then onto the Brisbane Cup if he aims up that level.

The Flying Amy Classic remains as Queensland’s richest event for age-restricted greyhounds.

Restricted to greyhounds which are 30-months-old or younger, the Flying Amy Classic retains its position as one of the premier events on the calendar.

Kennel mate Aston Hornet has drawn the red in his heat after his 30.50 second trial at Albion Park recently.

Aston Hornet tackles Thursday’s opening heat while Play Dirty is in the last of the four.

“He has a lot of ability but he probably lacks that little bit of class compared to the other bloke,” Lachlan said of Aston Hornet.

Meanwhile at Albion Park on Thursday night, the Young Guns heats include the return of champion dog man Tony Brett.

The multiple Group 1-winning conditioner has taken a break from training since the back end of last year.

Brett will prepare August Bob for Nowra Hill trainer Stephen Fitch on a caretaker basis through the series.

“I left Tony a message on his mobile phone and he rang me back and said he was happy to take him on," Fitch told The Greyhound Recorder. 

“Tony believes he will improve with a run or two on Albion Park, but he has settled in great and we really like the draw for him.

“From what I have read about Tony's training methods, he is very similar to me, a walk in the morning, straight work and free galloping.”