Family night out at Albion Park in Derby and Futurity

By Pat McLeod

The 2024-25 Queensland Golden Greys Summer Racing Carnival took a family twist on Thursday night at Albion Park with littermates quinellaing both the Group 2 Derby and Futurity.

Firstly, La Sagrada, from Krystal and Steve Shinners’ Western Australian kennel, upstaged her headlining sister, Miss Envy, also owned and trained by the Shinners, to take out the Bogie Leigh Futurity Final. 

Then, Craig Gardoll’s Spirit Boy left a star-studded field in his wake, blitzing the Queensland Derby Final, winning by six lengths over his brother, Black Liar, for the in-form Claude Dacey.

“That is a great result. She is a very good bitch in her own right,” Steve Shinners said.

La Sagrada edged out Miss Envy by the narrowest of margins, with Mossy Boots (trained by John McCarthy) third, in a smart 29.65 seconds - a new race record.

“She is probably a little bit underdone. That was only her second 500 metre race in six weeks after she pulled up a little bit ordinary after the Laurels (heat at Sandown)," Shinners said. 

“After this we are debating whether to leave her up here for a few runs with Tony (Zammit). She might have a couple of 600 metre runs and after that we might even put her in the bigger race (the Group 1 Gold Bullion).

“La Sagrada is coming along really well and probably won't hit her straps 100 per cent until another couple of runs. I have a big opinion of her and she is such a beautifully-natured bitch.

“That was great. She has been living in the shadow of her sister for a while.”

Miss Envy, whose scalps include the Group 1 National Sprint Championship in Adelaide in August and the recent Laurels Classic at Sandown, was squeezed early, and eventually found clear air, before storming home to just fall short.

She is now focussed on the Golden Ticket and Gold Bullion.

“They are both alpha females,” explained Shinners of his exceptional Aston Dee Bee and Miss America litter sisters.

“They have that dominance about them. They enjoy each other’s company, but when they race, the gloves come off.”

Meanwhile, Craig Gardoll is unsure what the immediate future holds for Spirit Boy after his impressive win in the Derby in 29.85 seconds. 

“We have some big decisions to make about what we will do with him next,” Gardoll said after the comprehensive victory over Black Liar and WA’s Italian Stallion (Jay Jacobson).

“We may take him to Sydney for the big Derby down there."

The Group 1 National Derby is held at Wentworth Park with heats on January 10 before the Final on January 18. 

There is the strong chance that the trainer, and his father, kennel patriarch Reg Gardoll, will bring the Corykodi and Liar Teller dog back for the Gold Bullion heats (January 23).

“He (Spirit Boy) does like the Albion Park track and that is the quickest he has been here,” Gardoll said.

“I don’t believe he would be outclassed in that race (the Gold Bullion).”

Gardoll said he had gone into Thursday night’s Final with confidence.

“I did give him a big chance from the one because he normally jumps and just keeps going,” Gardoll said.

“He is a very strong, hard chaser. That is a big race win for me. Dad has had Group 1 success, but that was my biggest win to date.”

The Gardolls placed second in last year’s Queensland Derby with Party Mode.

That same dog on Wednesday won through to next week’s Final of the Wauchope Cup at Taree.

The ‘visitors’ also figured strongly in Thursday night’s four heats of the Group 1 Golden Sands over 600 metres.

Group 1 sensation Ethanol Water (Thomas Dailly) oozed class with her heat win, as did fellow Victorian, Anthony Azzopardi’s Gold Scotch.

Flying the flag for NSW will be Dennis Barnes, with heat winner Nangar Gypsy.

He also has Nangar Rocket in the Final, who ran second to the Tom Tzouvelis-trained Tagovailoa.

The Tzouvelis kennel boasts three of the finalists – Tagovailoa, Autumn Storm and the Jedda Cutlack-trained Duffman.    

Ethanol Water, the recent Group 1 Bold Trease winner at Sandown, was in the hands of local trainer Greg Brennan for Thursday night’s heat.

“She will be on a plane on Friday morning heading back to Melbourne and will return next Wednesday and do the same system,” Brennan said after Ethanol Water’s trademark, powerhouse run to the line.

“She handled herself well and settled in nicely. She is a very professional little race dog. She had a good look at the track, a win and you can't ask for more than that.”

Another highlight of Thursday night’s Golden Greys flavoured program was the New Year’s Trophy Final, which was won by the in-form Kia Kaha (Warren Nicholls) in 29.97 seconds with Magistrate (Greg Stella) a length away second, and Comedy Act (Mick Johnston) third.

“That was a super run,” Nicholls said of Kia Kaha.

“We have seen a carbon copy of that race a few times with these two dogs (Kia Kaha and Magistrate).

“My dog’s weakness is her mid-section, but I was pretty confident tonight because she was able to stay close enough.”

Nicholls will continue with his plan to race Kia Kaha through the major sprint races remaining in the Golden Greys Carnival before a trip south to The Meadows.