New Townsville trainer with big Cup hopeful

By Jordan Gerrans

Only in the infancy of his training career, Townsville’s Christopher Scifleet is well-placed to land a dog from his kennel in the Townsville Cup for the first time.

Scifleet’s Young Rob was a stylish winner of a heat of the Townsville Wildcard series on Tuesday evening at the club’s Showgrounds complex.

Young Rob started in the Cup of 2022 for fellow local trainer Justin Reid and has since transferred into Scifleet’s kennel and clocked the quickest time of the two Wildcard heats on Tuesday.

The winner of this coming Tuesday’s Townsville Wildcard receives automatic entry into the Group 3 Townsville Cup later this month.

With an array of classy city dogs from Brisbane set to descend on North Queensland for the rich Cup this month, a position in the Cup through the Wildcard series could prove all-important.

Scifleet got his start in the sport by helping out veteran North Queensland greyhound trainer Rob Lound and has been training in his own right over the last year or so.

Townsville Greyhound Racing Club president Gary Heath is pleased to see new trainers making their mark in the local ranks.

“Chris has only been in it helping ‘Loundsy’ the last 12 months or so,” Heath said.

“It is great to see him make a feature race. Young Rob always comes good this time of year so it is good to see he is in form once again.”

The emerging trainer has 16 victories to his name since taking out his own licence.

"He went really well in the Wildcard heat," Scifleet said of Young Rob. 

"I think he will like the way he is boxed in the Final, as well."

Under the guidance of Reid, Young Rob ran into fourth in the Cup of 2022.

Kirwan-based conditioner Scifleet prepared Young Rob to a best of the night time of 28.67 seconds in Tuesday’s heat.

The other heat was claimed by the Hayley Wooler-trained Eyes On Meg in 28.77 seconds.

The Townsville club conducted their box draw for the Wildcard Final after the races on Tuesday with Young Rob handed the two alley.

The defending champion – Harold Hovi’s Redemption Day – will commence from five in the Wildcard decider.

Redemption Day finished fourth in the heat won by Eyes On Meg on Tuesday night to scrape into the Wildcard Final.

Redemption Day won the Townsville Wildcard this time last year before backing it up on ‘grand final night’, toppling a hot field of South East Queensland chasers who were in town for the Cup.

The Group 3 Townsville Cup over 498 metres (heats August 18; Final August 25) carries record prize money of $112,500 with winning connections collecting $75,000.

That's almost double last year's figure of $57,500 (winner $40,000).

According to Heath, the box draw has thrown the Wildcard race ‘wide open’.

“Anything can win it after the draw,” he said.

“It looks like Young Rob will be the one to beat after his run in the heats but there is an array of chances.”

North Queensland is set to be the hub of greyhound racing in the Sunshine State in the coming weeks with top kennels to land in the northern city.

Hall of Fame dog man Tony Brett and Jamie Hosking are expected to be involved in the Cup series heats, as well as other top SEQ conditioners.

Just as it was last year when Redemption Day lifted the Cup, the Wildcard is viewed as valuable in the Townsville greyhound community.

“It is great to have that local in the race with a chance and it paid off last year,” Heath said.

“It would be nice for it to happen again but the quality of dog that is coming up this year sounds Cup series sounds like it will be high.

“The visiting dogs will be trialling here soon before the Cup heats and we really welcome the visiting dogs to Townsville because it just means we will have an increased level of racing in our own backyard.”