Tzouvelis set to continue love affair with Nationals

By Pat McLeod

Tom Tzouvelis’ love affair with The Nationals looks set to continue with a four-pronged attack on the Queensland Straight Track Championship heats at Capalaba on Sunday.

The veteran trainer will campaign Valhalla and Simply Express across the two heats, while his kennel will also be represented by the Jedda Cutlack-trained That’s Hot and I’m Peakin’.

“I love the Nationals. I feel like I grew up with them, knowing what a great event they are from when I was a young boy,” Tzouvelis explains.

“I have competed in three of them and want to be there again this year.

“They are special. There is a significance and a pride in representing your state - 100 per cent I want to be there in Adelaide.”

While Tzouvelis has Tagovailoa in Thursday night’s Queensland Sprint Championships heats at Albion Park and is also sure to be represented by multiple runners in the state distance Final next week, his main Nationals hope is in the straight track showdown.

First and second from Sunday week’s Capalaba Final will be ushered through to the National Straight Track Final over 350 metres, to be contested at South Australia’s Murray Bridge course on August 24.

Last year Valhalla won the Queensland straight track crown, with Jamie McHugh’s Bye Bye Raider second.

Both contested the Nationals at Victoria’s Healesville track with Valhalla placing fifth and Bye Bye Raider sixth behind Jason Thompson’s straight track superstar Unleash Collinda.

Tzouvelis believes Valhalla still has a Nationals win in his repertoire.

“Right now he (Valhalla) is not at his peak, but he could be by the time the Nationals are held,” Tzouvelis said.

“He is a little under-done for this Sunday, but he is a naturally strong dog.

“If he can go through to the Final then this race will give him that extra bit of fitness.”

Tzouvelis explained how the long-planned Nationals campaign for Valhalla was thrown into chaos at the weekend when he was forced to scratch the dog from last Sunday’s Capalaba program.

He said the dog appeared ‘flat’ on Friday and so he decided to ‘err on the side of caution’ and scratched Valhalla.

As hoped, the dog’s health improved across the weekend and so he was able to successfully achieve a time reduction after a veterinary inspection at the Ipswich track on Tuesday.

“My preference was to run Valhalla at Capalaba last Sunday to bring him on that extra bit for these heats,” Tzouvelis said. 

“So, scratching him had nothing to do with keeping him fresh and everything to do with the fact that I was worried about him.

“He has been too good a dog to me to run him when there are any doubts.

“So, although he will not be 100 per cent for this Sunday, he has a good base fitness and is just a great race dog.”

Valhalla still holds a strong grip on the ‘King Of Capalaba’ crown.

In 31 starts at the track he has missed a placing just once and has an incredible record there of 24 wins and six seconds.

Overall, he has raced 53 times for a prize money collect of $268,125.

Simply Express also has a growing affection for Capalaba, with six wins and three placings from 10 starts there.

Cutlack’s That’s Hot has won on seven occasions and placed four times from 14 starts at the straight track.