Emerging star Backcreek Butch shines

By Josh Spasaro 

Backcreek Butch’s three length win in the QGOLD Emerging Sprinters Final was so good that trainer Andrew Monaghan believes he can build his career off it.

And, he is hopeful of that momentum carrying on to the Young Gunners heats over 457 metres at Q1 Lakeside this Saturday night.

Monaghan’s two-year-old brindle dog by Hooked On Scotch and out of Darryl’s Girl was near faultless on the weekend. He started well from box three and lengthened ahead of his rivals in the home straight to salute by three lengths.

“Unheard of. I knew he had the ability. His runs have been enormous coming from behind, he just hasn’t had any luck,” Monaghan said.

Monaghan is based at Dyraaba, which is about 30km outside of Casino in northern New South Wales.

“But, when he got on the bunny, I was pretty confident from the word go," he said. 

“I’d love him to run like that every week. He got (caught in traffic) a couple of times at The Q and lost a bit of confidence.

“But, he might have it back.”

Backcreek Butch – now with six wins from 14 starts – saluted with $12 odds in a field which featured his fancied litter brother Sironen Tiger as well as Hara’s Oden and Shout Out Shazam.

“It was a hot field. I thought he could run a place. In those races you need luck and you need to do everything right and he did everything right,” Monaghan said.

“He got on the bunny and away he went.”

The fast developing two-year-old chaser scored from box three in the $25,000 feature over 457 metres last Saturday night.

After getting the jump over his rivals at box rise, he found the rail early and did not look like getting beaten from there.

While Monaghan isn’t too bothered where Backcreek Butch draws for the Young Gunners heats this weekend, he would like to again see him start from a middle lane.

“I like him in the middle of the track. He does seem to want to go to the right a little bit and from the middle boxes he goes nice and straight,” he said.

“It depends on what’s drawn around him. There are so many speedy dogs who want to get to the fence and if they happen to be drawn outside you, you can be in bother.

“It’s just the luck of the draw, but I like him from the middle.”

Trainer and breeder Monaghan reared litter siblings Backcreek Butch and Sironen Tiger. Sironen Tiger is a fellow fast-developing juvenile and claimed the Group 3 Vince Curry Memorial Final for Darren Russell on February 5.

“I don’t know a lot about the bitch (Darryl’s Girl), but it seems like most of the litter want to run a bit of ground,” he said.

“I think they might get to 500 and 600 metres later on. They come from the Amron Boy line.

“He’s only just turned two, so with a bit more age on him he might run a bit more ground.”

Monaghan heaped praise on the QGOLD concept for Queensland-bred greyhounds, with eight Finals run and won at Q1 Lakeside last Saturday night.

“They’re unbelievable and with the prizemoney available it’s the best in Australia, by far,” he said.

“Butch has had 14 starts and he ran second in the Golden Chase and he won the QGOLD Emerging Sprinters on Saturday night.

“He’s already up to nearly $50,000 in prizemoney. It’s crazy money. Queensland is the place to be.”

Meanwhile, Monaghan said he was looking forward to observing the progress of a Feral Franky and Luminescence litter, with seven of the eight siblings under his care at his northern NSW kennels.

They have all debuted. Bailey Dutton leads the way with two wins from nine starts.

“I’ve got a couple of young ones out of a litter I bred – by Feral Franky and out of Luminescence,” he said.

“There are some really smart ones. 

"But, I’ve just had little injury problems with them. They haven’t hit the tracks properly yet, but I’ve got high hopes for them.”