Shelli Auer and Isaac's time to show out

By Jordan Gerrans

After working around greyhounds in North Queensland, Shelli Auer fell in love with the animal.

Auer was employed as the starter and kennel attendant at the Townsville Greyhound Racing Club for a period of time before stepping away into new employment.

Once she was away from the code on a regular basis, she quickly realized how much she missed the dogs and was desperate to get back involved.

Auer quickly engaged Ayr trainer Tony Parker about purchasing a dog.

The decision has been a master-stroke.

With the first dog Auer has ever owned, she now has a leading contender for the rich North Queensland Cup Final.

The Parker-prepared Showtime Isaac was the quickest qualifier from the six heats contested at the Showgrounds facility on Tuesday night.

Mentor Parker and Auer race the black dog together.

“The dog has found his feet and is just running now,” Auer said.

“It would be lovely if he could bring the Cup home next week.”

The annual NQ Cup is a key series on the northern greyhound calendar with the event restricted to dogs based further north than Gympie.

Auer is pinching herself to land such a classy dog in her first foray into greyhound ownership.

The son of Fernando Bale has now won 19 races and been placed on a further 15 occasions from 49 career starts, bringing in almost $55,000 in stakes.

Showtime Isaac was previously owned by Daniel Henry but after he decided to move the dog on, Parker and Auer happily stepped into the void.

“I used to work up at the Townsville greyhounds and I just fell in love with the dogs,” Auer said.

“They are so loving. When I stepped away from working up there, I just had to get back into it so Tony and I started chatting and we went from there.

“I sometimes help Tony out around his kennels so I am hands-on with the dogs, as well."

From a Fernando Bale and Flash Magic mating, Showtime Isaac has done all his racing in Townsville since debuting just over a year ago.

Trainer Parker notes that ‘Isaac’ did not set the world on fire in the early days but says with maturity and more racing he has just flourished.

“He is just improving every week and to be honest, when he was younger, I did not think he was going to be that good,” the trainer said.

“I thought he would be a fair dog but he has just been a late bloomer. He keeps getting better every week.

“I do not do a lot of work with him in between runs, once he is race fit I do not need to do a lot with him.

“I think he just has confidence in racing now and is learning the game more as he’s got older.”

Showtime Isaac jumped from the red alley and posted a best of the night performance of 28.66 seconds on Tuesday.

The chaser has bounced between the Cup distance of 498 metres and the sprint trip of 380 metres over the last year.

When ‘Isaac’ was not performing as Parker would have hoped over the longer distance, he dropped him back to the speedy journey to build his confidence back up.

The dog was racing over the shorter distance earlier this year during the Townsville Cup series and instead finished second in the North Queensland Sprint Final on Cup evening.

He had two 498 metre runs before Tuesday to prepare for the NQ Cup heats.

“It was a good run, once he got a gap down the back straight - I was pretty confident he would get the job done,” Parker said.

“His run home sectional was really good on Tuesday night; they do not normally get home as quick as he did.

“He is a really good kennel dog and has a really good nature about him.”

Showtime Isaac has drawn three for next Tuesday’s Final which Parker believes is a positive result.

He is undefeated from the three in his career but has only began from the white once beforehand.

“Even if he does not lead, the race should open up for him in the back straight so he can do his thing,” Parker said.

The Steven Scott team dominated Tuesday’s heats from Townsville, winning three on offer.

The Sarina-based mentor landed kennel mates Farmor Fired Up, Farmor Casual and Inevitable in Tuesday’s $24,000 Final.