Britton waiting for his carnival canvas to take shape

By Pat McLeod

Tim Britton is patiently waiting for his almost blank distance racing canvas to begin to take shape with the rich Queensland Golden Greys Summer Racing Carnival fast approaching.

“We are a bit light on as far as good race dogs go at the moment,” the Churchable-based conditioner explains.

"We don’t have a lot in our kennel at the moment, maybe three or four, that are possible carnival dogs.

“However, there is a bit of room for hope coming into the summer carnival, but it just depends on how the next several weeks pan out.”

Britton, who heads the usually very busy family ‘satellite’ kennel, says there are three candidates with impressive credentials, who could emerge as ‘carnival gatecrashers’.

They are the proven quality distance chaser Red Dirt Road and littermates Starfire Tears and Great Terms.

The Group-winning Red Dirt Road (51 starts: 23 wins, 13 placings, $316,755 in prizemoney) is currently sidelined at the Britton’s Victorian kennel headquarters after injuring a chest muscle in the recent Topgun Stayers showdown at The Meadows.

“Red Dirt Road should be back racing in about four to six week and hopefully we will have him back up here in time for the big races in the summer carnival,” Britton said.

“But, that will be touch and go.

“He will stay in Melbourne with my Dad (famed trained Rob Britton) until then and he will try and get him fit and send him back ready for a 700 metre race.

“Red Dirt Road knows the track up here so well so there wouldn't be any need for trialing.”

More immediate carnival possibilities are littermates Starfire Tears and Great Terms.

Both are currently campaigning at The Q, but over vastly different distances.

Starfire Tears will contest a 710 metre race on the Q2 Parklands track this Thursday night.

She will be looking for her third consecutive win over track and distance and there is no doubt Britton is cautiously excited about her progress.

“Starfire Tears is looking promising,” he says.

“At this stage she could be anything. I don’t know if that will be as a real superstar, or if she will develop into a really handy bitch.

“She is already running OK times, but that is all you could say. But, we haven't seen a lot of her yet.

“Hopefully she will keep going and improving the way that she is at the moment.

“And, we also have her littermate, Great Terms, who is not a stayer. He is going well.

“We have had him running just over the straight tracks because he has had a few head problems on the circle track and we are just trying to get him right.

“I will probably race him over 500 metres and 600 metres. He has got a pretty good 600 metre record and that litter is certainly bred for distance.

“We will see how he goes on the circle over the next few weeks and see if he is up to the carnival races.

“There are some really good 600 metre races across the carnival, but if he is going well, we would target the (Group 1) Golden Sands over that distance (heats on January 8 before the Final on January 15 on the Q2).”

Starfire Tears will exit box two in race two on Thursday night, with kennelmate, the Martina Kirillidis-trained Akela Ninjutsu, coming out of box eight.