Cumming stays in striking range of Capalaba trainers’ title

By Pat McLeod

Jeff Cumming’s current ‘Capalaba only’ program appears to be working with the Wolffdene conditioner in striking distance of a club premiership just past the mid-point of the year.

The long-time trainer is currently running second to the powerhouse Tom Tzouvelis kennel and has five runners in on Sunday’s program.

“I usually do a lot of racing at Capalaba and am always within the top 10 somewhere,” Cumming explains.

“For one reason or another I have just had a good start to this year. However, it’s hard to stay in front with so many good kennels and good dogs around.

“At the moment I am solely racing at Capalaba, but that is because the dogs I have now are more suited to there at this stage.

“I have trialed at The Q and will race there when I have the dog that suits.”   

Cumming, who cut his teeth in the greyhound industry in Mount Isa in the 1990s, moved closer to the coast and to his 11-acre property between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in the late ‘90s.

“I have always worked in I.T. and have maintained a kennel of about six dogs for most of my time here,” he says.

“I am still working, but also spend a fair bit of time with the dogs. I am somewhere between a hobby trainer and a full-time trainer.”

Cumming said the form dog in his kennel at the moment was the Good Odds Harada and My Kinda Song chaser Have Ignition.

To date she has eight wins and nine placings from 24 starts, all of them at Capalaba.

Her current form is excellent with three wins and five placings in her past nine starts.

“Have Ignition is probably my best dog at the moment,” Cumming says. 

“Since she came back from a season recently her form has been really good and I am very happy with her.

“Although her task on Sunday is pretty tough, a free for all race (race nine) and they're probably going to be a little bit too slick for her.

“She has the one box, but boxes don’t mean a lot for her. She would run true from whatever box she came out of.”

Cumming will also debut Reconstruction.

“I have had him for about five weeks and he looks a nice, strong dog,” he says of the former Victorian chaser, who has had just the nine starts for three wins and a third.

“But, so far in trials has been a little tardy at the start.

“It will be interesting to see if that also occurs in his first race for me on Sunday. Sometimes trial form is different to race form.”

Cumming says he will keep doing what he is doing racing-wise.

“I just love being involved with greyhounds,” he said.

“And, of course racing at Capalaba is an enjoyable experience – just a great atmosphere and great people.

“But, winning there is getting harder and harder. There are no easy races at Capalaba.”