Dargusch kennel looks to Capalaba for QGOLD

By Josh Spasaro

Casey Dargusch admits she’s not super confident about Kyoto’s chances in the first QGOLD heat over 366 metres at Capalaba on Sunday, but her bitch does have good form on the straight track.

The two-year-old started well and finished strongly to win her Capalaba Young Guns heat by a length in 19.77 seconds on May 4, beating eventual Capalaba Grand Prix winner, Bad Boy Wilson.

And, she was a big four-and-a-quarter length winner over the same straight distance on May 21.

Even in the Grand Prix Final on June 29, Kyoto finished sixth, but three-and-a-quarter lengths behind Bad Boy Wilson, when she crossed the line in 19.84 seconds.

Dargusch said she was happy with the effort from her chaser on that occasion.

“I wasn’t disappointed. It was a hard ask. She probably didn’t finish off as well as we would’ve liked,” she said.

“But, we freshened her up a little bit this week.”

Dargusch’s biggest concern is Kyoto – with seven wins from 29 starts – drawing the one box for Sunday’s start.

“Not overly confident with the one. We’d prefer her drawn in the middle, even out wide because she’ll head to the middle of the track,” she said.

“She’ll be in it, but it’ll just depend on how she jumps.”

By Bernardo and out of Gunnell, Dargusch said Kyoto's performance largely depends on how she feels on the day.

“So, we’ve just got to hope that she can time it right on Sunday. She can run – she’s run 19.50 seconds up there, which is fantastic," she said. 

“I’m pretty confident in that respect, so it’ll just be about what pans out in her race.

“The Bernardos seem to chase really well.”

Dargusch has been a trainer for 24 years.

She aims to make her dogs feel as stress-free as possible.

“It’s mainly just working out their quirks at the track and working with them, not trying to work against them,” she said.

“You’ve just got to alter things that you may do with them and not try and push them.

“She has her routine that we’ve worked out and it’s working quite well.

“We’ve got no real issues with her. She’s had no real injury worries, so it’s full steam ahead with her.”

Dargusch is currently doing a cruise of the Mediterranean with her husband Alan, while her sons Bailey and Riley look after their 25-dog operation at Churchable.

“We’re in very capable hands with those two (Bailey and Riley). We’re enjoying the break,” she said.

“We’ve got to plan these (breaks) 12 months in advance.

“We’re home on Tuesday. Get off the plane and straight back into it.”