New Capalaba star set to fly Queensland flag

By Jordan Gerrans

When a spot in the Straight Of Origin team for Queensland was floated to trainer Jeff Crawford about his up-and-coming prospect Lose Your Cool, he had to chuckle.

That was just a few starts ago and the exciting youngster has continued on his winning ways since.

So much so, the bookmakers have Lose Your Cool as the leading local hope in Sunday’s battle of the states down the grass track.

Lose Your Cool’s seven career races have all been at Capalaba for six wins and a second.

“My wife Jane came home one day from winning a race with him and she said a few people at the track were talking about him making the Straight Of Origin team if his form holds up,” Crawford recalled on Thursday morning.

“I just laughed as I thought there was plenty of good dogs ahead of him, I was thinking he had no hope.

“But, to our good fortune, he has stepped up and beaten a few handy dogs with good times on the board to justify being considered.

“He has headed in the right direction ever since.”

Jane made the initial call that Lose Your Cool was Origin-worthy and she might just be the lucky touch for the Buccan-based kennel.

Jeff handled him in his debut race start – his only career defeat so far – while Jane has had the collar duties ever since.

That is likely to stay the same this Sunday for the rivalry series race with Jeff at home looking after a new litter of puppies, while he notes Jane may just be a more calming influence to a dog before they are about to jump.

While Jeff Crawford will represent the Sunshine State on Sunday, he is originally from south of the border and has lived in Queensland for eight years.

Fellow Queensland trainers are banking on the Crawfords dog to fly the maroon flag on Sunday on the grass surface.

Queensland will be represented by Coonamble Kid (trained by Chris Brydon), Lose Your Cool, Panama Canal (Tony Brett) and Valhalla (Jedda Cutlack). 

“Lose Your Cool is a very good dog. A big chance and has good early pace,” trainer Chris Brydon said.

Lose Your Cool has the least race experience of the four maroon runners and has sharply risen up the straight track ranks since he debuted at the start of May. 

It was following a trial at the Ipswich Showgrounds track that Crawford realised that he might have something with a bit of star-power in his kennel.

“I slipped him in front of the 288 metre boxes at Ipswich and he went 10.80 seconds,” Crawford said.

“I only know of one other dog running around that time, which was Greg Stella’s Black Comanche.

“They usually do not go as quick as that so he has always had ability.

“He had a few injury problems early on so I restricted him to the straight since and given him a run or two around the circle for a trial to mix it up on him a bit.

“We will keep his focus on the straight track while he is going well.”

Lose Your Cool will eventually race at Ipswich or Albion Park – Crawford says – but for now, the team is happy to stay at Capalaba.

It is a track Crawford and his chasers have enjoyed great success at over the journey.

Former kennel star Leeroy Rogue collected 13 of his career 43 victories on the grass and still holds the track record at Capalaba.

Lose Your Cool’s mother – Frosty Fantasy – is a litter sister to Leeroy Rogue.

Lose Your Cool has posted a 19.58 second effort at Capalaba while Leeroy Rogue stopped the clock at 19.22 seconds in his heyday.

“Since his first start, he has really come on,” Crawford said of Lose Your Cool.

“He has run some really good times and he is the youngest and least experienced dog in the field for Sunday.

“I think he is a dog on the way up that has a lot of improvement in him yet and he will need to.

“We are happy with him so far. He has the pedigree to run up the straight.”

Crawford says Lose Your Cool and Leeroy Rogue are different in size despite their similarities on the track, with the retired dog being much larger in size.

The TAB has the Darren Sultana-trained Shall Not as the race favourite for Sunday’s state against state contest, jumping from the one alley at $1.70 as of Thursday afternoon.

Shall Not has had one look at Capalaba in his career, winning in 19.53 seconds earlier this month.

Lose Your Cool – who will have the black rug - is the leading hopeful for the locals at $4.80.