Whiskey Service targets New Years honours

By Pat McLeod

Casey Dargusch has no doubt her ultra-consistent chaser Whiskey Service has the ability to topple some big names and claim the $12,025-to-the-winner New Years Trophy on Thursday night at The Q.

“Of course, being in such a tough field a lot comes down to luck,” the Churchable trainer explains.

“But, we just hope he gets a slice of that luck, because I have no doubt he has the ability to match it with them.

“I think he can be very competitive against this class field on Thursday night.

“That is because of the times that he has run on this track and the form that he is in at the moment and the fact that he loves this track (the Q2 Parklands)."

In his most recent start, also over the same track and distance, Whiskey Service jumped well before running into some trouble. 

“He ran on quite well, but just couldn't make up for that early interference," the trainer said. 

“For that race he was out of the eight box, so he is a little closer to the rail this time coming out of the four.

“The dogs that are around him on Thursday night aren't particularly fast out, except for the one, Validate (trained by Jeff Crawford).

“Generally, our dog is a pretty good beginner. So, if he gets up close to the bunny, they will find it very hard to get past him.

“Once on the bunny, he is a very hard chaser. Mid-race he is also strong, so he has the speed and the ability.”

Thursday night is another chapter of the highlights-packed Queensland Golden Greys Summer Racing Carnival.

The New Years Trophy has main event status and is preceded by three heats of the Bogie Leigh Futurity and four heats of the Queensland Derby.

Both are Group 2 features.

Whiskey Service’s ‘consistency’ tag is deserved. 

With the year about to round out, Dargusch said her Whiskey Riot and Power Service speedster had narrowly run second to Tim Britton’s Red Dirt Road for Greyhound Of The Year on the Q2.

“He is the most consistent dog that you would want. He rarely puts in a bad run,” she said.

“If you look at his record, his top four placings are phenomenal. He just loves the Q2 and is so consistent there.

“He did win five in a row over the 600 metres there. Then we stepped him up to 700 metres, where he won and placed a couple of times.

“We have since dropped him back and he has gone OK.

“Whiskey Service has also had a stint on the Q1 for the QGOLD races (placing second to Validate in the QGOLD Summer Chase over 550 metres).

“He has run good times on the Q1, but he's just not a one-turn dog. He loves the two-turn track.”

After Thursday night, the Dargusch kennel will focus on the Group 1 Golden Sands, which will be contested on the Q2 track – with heats on January 8 before the Final on January 15.

They plan to campaign Whiskey Service and Midnight Queen in that feature.

Other than Validate, other major contenders for this Thursday night’s feature honours are Tom Tzouvelis’ Stowaway and Simulate, Bruce Timbs’ Brunswick Bullet and Brunswick Flyer and track newcomer, Darryl Thomas’s Zipping Xaden.