Inside draw boost for Midnight Queen

By Josh Spasaro

If Casey Dargusch had 10 Midnight Queen bitches in her kennel, she’d be ecstatic.

The stayer – who turned three last weekend – lines up in the $24,750 QGOLD Stayers Final over 642 metres at Q1 Lakeside this Saturday.

She will have the benefit of starting from box one, while her litter sibling Pozzi Tonozzi – also by Bernardo and out of Rinadeena – will jump from the eight lane.

“I think Midnight Queen’s got a good chance. She’s a track record holder there and she’s drawn where we want her,” Dargusch said.

“She always gives 110 per cent when she goes around, so it’ll just depend on how she goes at the start.

“But, if she can be sitting two or three off them, she’ll do her best. What will be will be.”

Midnight Queen has one win and two runner-up finishes from her past five starts going into this week’s Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival feature.

She is under the care of Dargusch’s son, Bailey.

“She’s a lovely bitch. She’s built really well,” Casey Dargusch said.

“And, she’s the perfect dog. She’s perfect at home and is the perfect race dog.

“She has some sense about her and she’ll give her all. For a smaller girl, she’ll keep coming. If you can have 10 of her in the kennel, you’d be really happy. 

“It just goes on whether she gets any luck. Some of the races she should’ve been an absolute certainty in, she’s found traffic.

“And, she’s just kept coming. So, you can’t ask for anything more than that in a dog.”

Dargusch’s son Bailey conditions a total of nine dogs at his mother’s Golden View Greyhound Complex at Churchable, which her husband Alan also operates.

“Bailey loves it. He does dogs full-time now. We tried to get him to get an apprenticeship, but he loves the dogs,” she said.

“He’s very passionate and committed. Hopefully he can have a long future in it.”

Midnight Queen – with 12 wins from 47 starts and over $94,000 in prizemoney – could also enjoy a bright future as a longer distance chaser.

On December 13 last year, she set a new track record over 642 metres at Q1 Lakeside, crossing the line in 35.88 seconds.

That result came in the QGOLD Summer Distance Final and it reaffirmed Dargusch’s faith in Midnight Queen as a staying bitch.

“She won the QGOLD there back in December over 642 metres – she holds the track record,” she said.

“I was ecstatic, especially for Bailey only being a young trainer in his first 12 months training and he’s got this little bitch.

“It was our first track record that we’ve ever had, so it was very special. 

“We always thought that she would stay. But, she came on season and we had to ease her back up.

“She ran third at The Gardens in her 715 heat a couple of weeks ago. It was a fantastic run. So, the next goal was the QGOLD.”

Midnight Queen’s dam, Rinadeena, saluted in six of her 26 starts, with one of those being a runner-up finish over 630 metres at Ipswich.

“The mother could run 700 metres. Three of them out of the litter can all stay and run 600 metres or more (including Jenny Dutton),” Dargusch said.

“So, she’s obviously thrown that into them.

“We really can’t complain. They’re a fantastic litter for us and Bailey is training the other sister at the moment, Jenny Dutton, for Andrew Monaghan.

“She won over 600 metres on Sunday. Midnight Queen has been the better bitch, but Pozzi has been fairly handy.”

Dargusch said Midnight Queen would enjoy starting from the red box in Saturday night’s race as part of a big night of racing that will include QGOLD Blitz, Bolt, Rookies, Veterans, Emerging Sprinters, Winter Chase and Winter Sprint Finals.

“She always prefers the inside because she loves the rail. So, box one should suit her. Hopefully, Garrison can jump well and she can get a sit behind him,” she said.

“That would be ideal, but whether it plays out like that is another thing.”

Dargusch said Pozzi Tonozzi – with three wins from 28 starts – should also enjoy starting from box eight in the QGOLD Stayers Final at Q1 Lakeside on Saturday night.

“She’s drawn where she wants to be because she doesn’t like a dog on her outside,” she said.

“She’s not up to her sister’s class. She’ll try her best. We know she can run 700 metres.

“So, we thought we might as well chuck her in and have a go.”