Townsville set for Young Guns series

By Wayne Heming

Trainer Mark Partland admits the Rockhampton visitors racing at Townsville on Tuesday night will have a fitness advantage on the local greyhounds. 

Partland will have five runners contesting the three heats of the Young Guns over 498 metres. 

He has Anna Rumble (box one) in heat one and Eugene, a young dog, jumping from box six along with kennelmate Saintly Highway (box seven) in the second heat.

His other two runners, Winnie Rumble and Amber Annie, have drawn the outside boxes in seven and eight respectively in the final heat.

"The Rocky boys haven’t missed any racing and they’ll probably have a slight edge on us," Partland said. 

Partland nominated Saintly Highway and Winnie Rumble as his two best chances.

He said Saintly Highway, who he purchased from prominent Victorian breeder, Angela Langton, had been a ‘nice dog’ for him.

Winnie Rumble only joined her sister, Anna Rumble (from a Pestana and Joyce Rumble litter) in Partland's kennel a month ago, but she is showing some good signs.

“I sent her over the 498 metres for the first time last week on a slow track and she went 28.99 second, so she caught me a little by surprise,” Partland said.

“Box seven for her and also box seven for Saintly Highway is good as he has won a couple of races wearing the black rug.”

Eugene is an interesting runner for Partland.

The trainer, who has about 30 dogs including some pups he is breaking in, secured Eugene (from a My Redeemer and Naturally Gifted litter) from local breeder and trainer Rhonda Essery when he was six weeks old.

“He’s only a young dog, but he gets home pretty well,” noted Partland.

“He has had one win over the 498 metre course and he could be an up-and-comer.”

Partland didn’t escape the big wet which drenched North Queensland earlier this month.

“A fellow trainer told me the area had been smashed by two metres of rain in a week,” Partland said.

“I reckon we had between 1.5 metres and two metres of rain and we missed a few meetings."

Partland said the Townsville club had scheduled an extra meeting on Friday night.

“It will be well received by the trainers who have been doing it tough,” Partland said.