Young chasers coming of age from Townsville kennel

By Jordan Gerrans

The Pickard kennel is optimistic a pair of litter siblings they bred are starting to come of age ahead of a trip to Rockhampton on Wednesday evening.

Greg and Carol Pickard will start six chasers from their Deeragun-based team in Townsville at the Callaghan Park club in Central Queensland.

The half a dozen greyhounds are split across Greg and Carol’s individual training licences with each having three in their own name.

The Pickards, as well as a glut of North Queensland trainers, will make the regular trip south to ‘Rocky’ over the coming weeks as the Townsville Greyhound Racing Club’s running rail is replaced.

With promising littermates Miss Shylock and Lord Shylock emerging through the Pickards kennel, Greg says the added experience around the different track will be beneficial in the long run. 

“It will take a few times to get the dogs used to the track, that is why I am travelling down a fair bit this time,” Greg said.

“Once they are used to it, they are good to go.

“For me, I don’t mind the travel between the two places to race.”

After racing in Darwin initially, Greg and Carol moved to Townsville about eight years ago to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

Miss Shylock is already a winner at Rockhampton, scoring in 23.95 seconds over 407 metres at just her second look at the facility.

The fawn bitch is a last-start winner on her home deck last Friday, landing the prize in 22 seconds from the inside alley.

She starts from the two on Wednesday night in a fifth grade event.

“Miss Shylock looks to have a good chance,” Greg said.

“She has been putting it together consistently now and she has been looking good.

“If a dog has broken 24 seconds at Rockhampton and 22 seconds at Townsville – it will serve you well.”

Miss Shylock and Lord Shylock are from an Out Of Range and Charlotte Byrde mating, with four from the litter having made it to the race track.

Secret Super from the litter won in 25.23 seconds over 431 metres at Ipswich last month which gave Greg some confidence his two will soon find their stride.

Miss Shylock and Lord Shylock have combined to win on three occasions from 14 starts.

Lord Shylock will contest a novice event over 407 metres on Wednesday at Rockhampton.

“We bred those and they have been an ongoing process – so it is good to see them get a few results,” Greg said.

“It has been very pleasing. They are only young.

“They have taken forever – they are two years old now – and they have only just started to mature into race dogs.

“We gave them every chance early on but the last few months, they have just switched on like dogs.

“They look like race dogs now compared to when they were immature – it has just taken a while.”

Charlotte Byrde has been retired as broodbitch.

The Pickards were keen to breed with Charlotte Byrde as she is a litter sister to champion dog Jungle Deuce, who loved racing at Albion Park. 

Also from the kennel’s travelling team, Non Stop Tommy will be looking to regain his best form after winning three on the trot in January.

The son of Western Australian champion Tommy Shelby was previously prepared by Jamie Hosking – a trainer the Pickards have a long-term association with - in South East Queensland.

Non Stop Tommy will jump from the pink on Wednesday as he looks to snap his three race losing sequence after his red-hot run in January.

“He came up here as a fast trial dog,” Greg said.

“We knew he had ability and we thought the straight start at Townsville might help him and it obviously did in his first three races.

“He definitely has ability; he just needs to get through but the seven box might not help him.”

As well as the Pickards, trainers Hayley Wooler and Tony Parker will also head south to Townsville for the meeting.

Mackay trainer Steven Scott will also travel down for the program.

Rockhampton’s Wednesday evening meeting is headlined by three heats of the Anniversary Cup over 510 metres.