Overflow Beau oozes class in Rising Stars victory

By Pat McLeod

Craig Chappelow feasted on an appetizer ahead of the Queensland Golden Greys Summer Carnival on Thursday night at Albion Park, taking out the Group 3 $45,000 Rising Stars Final with his very promising Overflow Beau.

The taste was so sweet he will be back for the main course.

The Summer Carnival doesn’t officially kick off until the Queensland Flame on November 30,  however Chappelow, Sydney-based but a frequent Brisbane visitor, wasn’t waiting for the welcome mat to be unfurled.

“We will be back for the Queensland Derby (heats on December 28 before the Final on January 4),” Chappelow said.

“That was always on the agenda. This was a lead-in. So, to win is a real bonus.”

Chappelow explained that this visit was more about ensuring his Fernando Bale and Sweet City Woman chaser was accustomed to the Albion Park track.

Overflow Beau revelled at ‘The Creek’ extending his excellent southern form with victory in both heat and Final.

In Thursday night’s showdown he was away fairly, but soon showed why his trainer rates him so highly, winning by two-and-a-quarter lengths in 29.92 seconds. 

“We thought the seven (Brent Kline’s Carton Of Bear) would come out as good as our bloke and he probably came out better,” Chappelow said post-race.

“So that was the game plan, that he would give us a bit of cover going across.

“Once I saw that our dog was up in second, I was pretty confident from there and then he went pretty well. He is very strong and he also had that extra run from last week and so was a bit fitter this week.

“Box eight is not an easy box to win from here, so I think that even gives more merit to his win tonight. He is very tenacious and just tries to find the best spot that he can.

“He is a real race dog. It doesn't matter where he draws, he puts in 110 per cent. Looking ahead to the Derby, I am excited because this is the type of dog you love to take away.”

Finishing strongly was the second-placed Jen’s Joy (trained by Jamie Hosking) with Darren Russell’s Pringle Tiger in third. 

Chappelow, whose kennels are at Oakdale, in Sydney’s South West, has been coming north for Brisbane carnivals since 2005.

He says while Melbourne had always been considered ‘the Mecca’, Brisbane’s carnivals had grown in attraction and was ‘the place you want to come and chase those big races’.

“We enjoy coming up here and staying with Casey and Alan Dargusch (Golden View greyhound complex at Churchable). They really look after us,” he said.

Joining him on this trip is wife Samantha and children Roxie, 5, and Josh, 4.

“The warmer weather up here is really good. We are off to Dreamworld," he said. 

Also with Chappelow on Thursday night were Overflow Beau’s owners, industry stalwarts Ray and Jean Holt.

In other action at Albion Park, the powerhouse Britton camp’s Queensland incursion stepped up a gear with their first success under Thursday night lights at Queensland’s greyhound racing headquarters since they set up a satellite kennel at Churchable in late October.

Tim Britton’s Dirt Farmer opened their account with a win in a 710 metre free for all race before Cash It In (another Tim Britton-trained chaser) made it two from two in over 600 metres. 

“We have the monkey off our back,” Britton laughed after the double.

He was especially happy with Cash It In’s performance, narrowly beating Tom Tzouvelis’s Saanvi, with Zipping Senorita (Jedda Cutlack) third.

“I did not think she got there. But, it was a really good run,” Britton said of Cash It In.

“I could see her coming through the field, but I did not think that she quite got there from where I was standing behind the boxes.

“Back in Victoria she struggled a bit. Up here I think she has found a good track to run on.”

Jedda Cutlack’s Scintillate sizzled back into form in the second of the 600 metre heats, accounting for Renald Attard’s Blazing Smoke by three lengths with Portman’s Lass (Warren Nicholls) third.

The third 600 metre heat was taken out by Ray Burman’s Jewel Bee, with Swish (Jedda Cutlack) second and Spiderbait (Warren Nicholls) third.