Darwin connection play's role in Townsville Futurity assault

By Pat McLeod

Carol and Greg Pickard don’t miss the Darwin heat since moving to Townsville about seven years ago, but there was also plenty they liked about the Northern Territory capital.

An example of one of those positives is Bantam Magic, who they hope will fly the lids from box one in Tuesday night’s Townsville Futurity Final over 498 metres.

The smallish bitch has been sent north from Jamie Hosking’s Churchable kennels, in South East Queensland.

“We were in Darwin for quite a while and that's where we met Jamie and struck up a friendship with him,” Carol Pickard explains.

“We were originally from Cessnock (in the NSW Hunter Valley) and were training there before we went to Darwin.

“We started training again in Darwin and have continued since we moved to Townsville.

“Jamie of course moved south and we have continued with a really positive relationship sending dogs between our kennels.

“He’ll send some up to us and we will send some down to him.

“It is a really good working relationship that we have with Jamie. If any of the dogs don’t work out there are no issues, they go back to their original kennel.”

Carol Pickard said the two-kennel system had worked well with Bantam Magic.

“She was out for quite a while with an injury and Jamie said that he had done all he could to get the dog going well and decided to send her up to us to see how she went up here,” Carol Pickard said. 

“We persevered with her, although I think Jamie had already done most of the work with her and she has come good and has been going well since she has been up here.

“She is a good little girl and gives 150 per cent every time. She is jumping really well and if she jumps and gets on the lure she is very good. We are hoping that is what she will do quite well on Tuesday night. We have got a lot of confidence in her. She is doing well over the 498 metres."

Her last start was a 28.92 second personal best effort. 

“The way she races, getting out quickly, on the bunny, she is very hard to run down," Carol Pickard said. 

“We believe there is more improvement in her over the 498 metres.  On Tuesday night the one box is certainly an advantage. There will be a lot of pace in this race, because you can’t take anything away from the other dogs in this race. It is a good field.

“We give Bantam Magic a fair chance on Tuesday, especially if she jumps as well as she has been jumping.”

Carol said she and husband Greg, who she first met at a greyhound track in Cessnock, had moved to Townsville to be closer to children and grandchildren and they were enjoying the greyhound scene there.

“The quality of racing at the moment is very good and continues to improve,” Carol says.

“Everybody has got good dogs up here and every week you know you will come up against some good quality opposition.

“At the moment we have 12 dogs in work and usually that includes a couple of Jamie’s.”

A crack field has also won through to Tuesday night’s Townsville Derby Final also over 498 metres, with early favourites Emgrand Centre (trained by Bobbie-Jean Chaffey) and Tony Parker’s Showtime Isaac.