Ipswich track puts Uno Nangar back on a winning trajectory

By Pat McLeod

Promising young bitch Uno Nangar’s trajectory towards the upper levels of greyhound racing is back on track as she heads to Ipswich on Saturday night.

Owner and trainer John Corrigan took the talented sprinter back to Ipswich for last Saturday night’s heats of the fifth grade series after she came to grief in the Final of the Rising Stars at Albion Park on Thursday, November 28.

After compiling five wins in a row, including the Ipswich Futurity, Uno Nangar started disastrously in the Rising Stars, finishing last to Tom Tzouvelis’ Daysea’s Rory.

Corrigan is also the Grafton club boss. 

“She tried to anticipate the start and jumped early as the lids opened,” Corrigan explains.

"Of course I was disappointed.  After she checked out OK, I decided to take her back to Ipswich and just get away from Albion for a while.

“She loves it at Ipswich – although she really likes Albion, as well, and I believed a change of scenery may have helped her get over any issues she may have had following that run at Albion.

“But, again, she was fine. She raced very well. I was very happy with her performance (a personal best and best of the night 30.34 seconds).”

Corrigan said Saturday night’s Final would be another good test.

“They were quality heats and so the Final will be a good, hard race," Corrigan said. 

“Jayson Valentine has (fellow heat winner) Tarawi Buster going really well. He chased us for much of the way when my girl ran 29.80 seconds at Albion Park.

“Darren Russell’s Swift Beach and Ned Snow’s Vienna On Call have plenty of speed. So yes, a good Final. None of them can be underestimated.”

Uno Nangar has drawn the eight for Saturday night, but Corrigan is not concerned.

“She has performed well from there before. In fact she has performed well from most boxes,” he said.

After Saturday night, Corrigan will again turn his and Uno Nangar’s attention back to Albion Park, with the target, the Group 2 Bogie Leigh Futurity over 520 metres - with the heats on Friday, December 27 before the Final, on Thursday, January 2.

With an enticing $75,000 to winners of both the Futurity and the Queensland Derby there is expected to be plenty of interstate interest in both races. 

“I will give her that opportunity, in the Futurity,” Corrigan said.

“I believe she has earned that, the right to go against the best in her age bracket. As far as her last run at Albion goes, well you just forget about that and move on.”