North Queensland trainers back on track

By Pat McLeod

Battle-hardened North Queensland trainer Phil Rudall, predicts his consistent, but ageing sprinter Cool Blue Star faces a tough task to overcome the odds in a best eight race at Townsville on Tuesday night.

Like most Townsville region trainers, Rudall wore some telling blows from the recent two-week inundation of rain which halted greyhound racing in the state’s north.

“Every year or two we do get floods up here. It's just that some are worse than others,” Rudall said.

“This one was pretty bad because the heavy rain just wouldn't stop. I recall, we went to a meeting on a Friday (January 31). Our kennel had a dog in race one (Arka Chief, who ran second to Tony Parker’s Summer Sand).

“The meeting was abandoned straight after that race because of heavy rain and from then on for almost two weeks it just didn't stop. The heavens opened and didn't close.

“We got just over two metres of rain during that time.”

Phil Rudall and son Ross are based out of their 18-acre property at Nome, about 20km south of Townsville.

Like most North Queensland trainers, racing resumed for the Rudalls on Friday, when they had five runners booked across a 12-race program.

They collected three wins and a second from four runners before the deluge resumed and the last five races were abandoned.

“It was really good to get back on the track and racing again,” Rudall said.

“We had a working bee on Tuesday last week and we had about a dozen industry people come and work, mopping up and doing whatever work was needed on the track and kennels.

“We were actually able to trial on Wednesday night after we had a dry day on Wednesday, when the sun came out for the first time. As far as I am aware there was no major damage done to the racetrack or infrastructure.”

Despite the damage and the disruption to the race calendar, Rudall remains philosophical.

“I believe most of the trainers are in the same boat as me, faced with track damage but nothing particularly major,” Rudall said.

“The mood at the moment hasn't changed a lot because these things happen and the trainers just seem to take it on the chin. Of course it is not nice, but it is what it is and you just have to get on with it.”

The Rudalls have just the one runner in on Tuesday night’s 12-race program.

Veteran Cool Blue Star has been the picture of consistency throughout his career with 21 wins, 23 placings and $63,540 in prizemoney from his 58 starts.

The Bernardo and Eye Will Reign sprinter will jump from box two in the best eight race over 380 metres.

“Cool Blue Star has just turned four so is at the end of his career,” Rudall said.

“I believe he is a place chance. Jimmy Roo (trained by Heath Ardle) looks well drawn in box one and is the big danger. Cool Blue Star is a really good, consistent dog. He is also a beautiful kennel dog.”