Tarawi to bust a move in Lakeside Cup

By Jordan Gerrans

Jayson Valentine has Lakeside Cup ambitions with Tarawi Buster on Thursday evening but looking ahead, the Jimboomba-based dog man believes his kennel star is ready to take his game to the next level over the coming year.

Tarawi Buster already qualified for the Group 3 Nationals series decider earlier this year and will run for Group 1 prizemoney on Thursday in the Lakeside Cup on the Q1 Lakeside circuit.

While three-year-old chaser is yet to salute in a major event, Valentine feels it is only a matter of time.

The black dog recently travelled south for a Million Dollar Chase campaign and while he didn’t make it past the semi-final stage, Valentine is confident the trip away has done his chaser wonders.

“He loves travelling and loves what he does as a race dog,” Valentine said.

“The trip away in Sydney, it has done him the world of good and I really think this year is going to be Tarawi Buster’s best year to come.

“He is a special dog.

“We have a little bond, myself and the dog, but we had that bond before he started to perform well and do what he has done.”

Tarawi Buster is the best dog Valentine has ever prepared, with the greyhound recording the most victories (17) and prizemoney (over $80,000) of any chaser he has ever had under his care.

Valentine drove to Sydney with the son of Oaks Road and while the chaser slept for the majority of the journey, the trainer says he has come back a mature and switched-on dog.

He showed that in his heat of the Lakeside Cup last Thursday when he ran into second behind Blue Blend with his 25.27 second run solid enough to force his way into the rich decider.

Tarawi Buster would have finished much closer to Jeff Crawford’s Blue Blend if he did not run into some trouble on the home bend over the 457 metre trip.

He jumped from the two in the heat and has been handed the blue alley for the $100,000 showpiece event.

“It was an enormous run in the heat if I was being honest,” Valentine said.

“He ran second to Blue Blend and he got off on the bend and lost a good four or five lengths, in my opinion.

“To actually pick himself up and to make it into the Final, it is a real big effort from him.

“I am quietly confident for the Final as all eight dogs in the race deserve to be there, all eight dogs can win the race.

“He has drawn the four, he takes a stride or two to get going but with a bit of clear air and a little bit of luck, he really will give this race a shake.”

Alongside his partner Sharon Wainwright, Valentine prepares a kennel of nine at Jimboomba and while he will trial at The Q every now and again, he does the majority of his work at home.

He boasts two 250 metre straight tracks at his property with competition runs and does the majority of his galloping work on them.

The Valentine kennel was up in lights earlier this year when their star greyhound made the Group 3 National Straight Track Championship Final at The Q.

The trainer says it was a big ‘thrill and surprise’ to be racing at that level and described Tarawi Buster’s effort as ‘enormous’ to finish fourth against the best straight track animals in Australia.

“That is about his level,” the trainer said.

“He is a couple of lengths of those top tier dogs.

“But, he gave his all in the Nationals, which is all I can ask for with him.

“There have been bigger and better things that have come up since the Nationals, like the Lakeside Cup, which is fantastic.

“I am as happy winning a maiden as I am a feature race.

“My dogs just try, they are happy and healthy dogs and they just give you everything they can whenever they go on the track.”

On top of Tarawi Buster, Valentine has high hopes for kennelmate Calico Bluff.

Calico Bluff has won six of his 17 career trips to the races, as well as seven minor finishes, but has been off the racing scene in recent times with an injury.

Valentine describes the red fawn dog as a ‘serious animal’ who might turn into something special so the trainer will take his time with Calico Bluff.