Second place has plenty to offer in straight showdown

By Pat McLeod

Valhalla will be a deserved short-priced favourite to win Sunday’s Queensland Straight Track Championship Final at Capalaba, however Churchable trainer Casey Dargusch says there is plenty of interest in a top two placing.

The increased focus on the second rung of the podium is because the first two runners from the Final will make their way to South Australia for the National Straight Track Championship Final at Murray Bridge on August 24.

“Valhalla is obviously the big danger in this race on Sunday,” Dargusch said. 

“He is such as champion, especially at Capalaba, and one of the best straight track dogs that we have ever seen.

“But, this race is not clear cut by any degree. It is a dog race. Even Valhalla is not unbeatable and has been beaten here before.

“Every dog will have to be on top of their game to be a chance of a top two finish, however I believe Valhalla will have to get into a bit of trouble to get beaten.

“And, even if he does win then there is great value in running second because two dogs go off to the Nationals.”

Dargusch will campaign Bye Bye Swiper in the Final.

The Bago Bye Bye and Javens chaser placed third behind Jemma Daley’s Hara’s Buddy in last Sunday’s championship heats.

The fawn dog has very solid Capalaba form (six wins and six placings from 19 starts there) and also a fastest time up the straight of 19.58 seconds. 

“He (Bye Bye Swiper) is a very quick dog and can probably shave a little bit more off his fastest time, which is a very competitive time,” Dargusch said.

“He is definitely a handy straight track dog. We are not drawn ideally out of the seven box on Sunday because he does prefer the rail.

“So, I am not overly confident on Sunday that he can run in the top two. But, this will be a very good Final and every dog deserves their place there.

“It is fantastic that it is such a strong field because each of these dogs would be very competitive and represent Queensland well at the Nationals.”

Dargusch, who operates the Golden View Greyhound Complex with husband Alan, has ‘history’ with Bye Bye Swiper and a much longer association with owner Mark Rowe.

“We have known Mark for a fair while. He has been a long-time client of ours,” she explains.

“He is a brilliant owner to work with and just a great bloke.

“We whelped this litter for him and then a few of them stayed to be reared with us. Then we broke those ones in and then we pre-trained them.

“Mark then asked us if we wanted to train one and told me that I could have the pick of the three that we had brought through.

“We picked him, Bye Bye Swiper. There was just something about him that I really liked.”

Bye Bye Swiper’s overall career statistics to date are 37 starts for nine wins and 14 placings for $37,640 in prize money.

“We brought him to the Capalaba straight to try to get him more focused on his racing because he can be a frustrating dog,” Dargusch said. 

“That has worked because he is more focused when on the straight. Sunday will be tough, but he will be finishing strongly.”

The Darguschs have never been involved in a Nationals Final before and Casey says she would love to be a part of it in 2024.

“To win through on Sunday would be special and we would be off to the biggest race that we have ever contested,” she says.

“When we first became involved in greyhounds, the Nationals was one of ‘the’ races that people wanted to win.

“With the big jump in prize money in other races in recent years the Nationals has lost a little of its glory, which I believe is a shame because in our eyes the Nationals are about the best of the best.

“To us it is still a very prestigious series, whether that is on the straight or the circle.”

The Tom Tzouvelis kennel, which includes Valhalla and the Jedda Cutlack-trained runners That’s Hot and I’m Peakin’, does have strong claims on the Final.

However, Jemma Daley’s Hara’s Buddy continued his excellent Capalaba form with a tight win over That’s Hot in the heats and has a quick best time at the straight track of 19.47 seconds.