Kristy Zammit on the board as she follows famous father

By Jordan Gerrans and Josh Spasaro

Just as Hall of Fame mentor Tony Zammit passed on the love of greyhound racing to her, training newcomer Kristy Zammit is doing the same with her two children Jordan and Lillie.

The daughter of the legendary dog man has been making her own way in the code over the last year, taking the first dog to the races in her own name as a trainer in the middle of December last year.

That dog was Jaguar Jett who eventually became her first winner since taking out her training ticket on Wednesday of last week at Capalaba.

Jaguar Jett is a full sibling to Tony’s former champion stayer Valpolicella following a repeat mating of Shima Shine and Saldana.

Jaguar Jett heads back to the grass straight of Capalaba on Wednesday afternoon shooting to go back-to-back.

It can be a challenging time when a trainer goes out on their own, but Kristy says the support of her parents and her children’s love the animal is helping inspire her.

“Last week Lillie came with me to watch Jaguar Jett because my Mum and Dad both came so they could look after her while I was on the track,” Kristy said

“They both love it. They are so excited to go in the kennels and see the dogs.

“They know what each dog wears, what colour muzzle and what kennel they're in. They can name all of them, it's nice. It's like a family affair now.

“I couldn’t do it all without my parents as well as my husband Scott.

“My Mum, Maree, she's behind the scenes, helping out with things with the kids, stuff like that. It's been amazing having them both there.”

Kristy recalls helping out her father with his team of chasers from as young an age as five years old.

Now in her early 40s, she spent a long time away from the code before returning and taking out her own training licence.

She travelled the world for her job before settling in Brisbane and taking up the lead and collar like her revered father.

Kristy’s father Tony is a proud man to be able to have his daughter follow in his famous footsteps in the sport.

“That was a big boost for her having her first winner as a trainer. She’s keen to have a go at the game,” Tony said.

“She’s 40, but she’s a late starter. She got married late and had a couple of kids. She only lives five minutes from home, so we help each other out a lot.

“By having her involved, it makes it easy for us, too. I’ve got three daughters and I’m really pleased to have one of the daughters involved.

“She’s the youngest of the three and she’s probably the only one who’s been a real enthusiast to have a go at training.

“The other two have ventured into other things. They’re still there and still help if we need a hand. They’re all still around. We’re a pretty close family. We all keep in touch.”

Jaguar Jett will always be a special dog for Kristy and the wider Zammit clan.

He of course was her maiden starter in a race and eventually became her first winner.

But, it didn’t come easy for the novice conditioner.

The two-year-old chaser had three starts across Q1 Lakeside and Q2 Parklands without much luck between December of last year and February.

He did not finish better than fifth in each run.

Instead of continuing on with Jaguar Jett’s preparation, Kristy took a step back with her kennel favourite, which eventually led to her greatest success yet in the sport.

“I wasn't happy with how he was performing,” she reflected.

“I worked on him and have been working on his fitness, plus I found a couple of little niggling spots on him.

“I was working on his confidence and took him to Capalaba. 

"He came out and won for me last week after spending that time with him.

“If I hadn’t taken that time, he probably still would have been struggling with his confidence.

“It's also helped me as a trainer build up my confidence and patience with it all.

“It is just learning those little bits and pieces from Dad.

"Dad will have a look as well and help me out. It's nice to have Mum and Dad there in my corner for everything.”

Kristy picked up Jaguar Jett when he was a puppy from Sandro Bechini who raced former star stayer Valpolicella.

Jaguar Jett has drawn the yellow for his assignment on Wednesday at the southern Brisbane track in a sixth-grade event.

He will be joined by kennelmate Manhattan Girl of Kristy’s who will also run over 366 metres in a master's fifth grade race.

Manhattan Girl will jump from the eight as she aims to break a winless run in her last five starts.

“She hasn't been to Capalaba for a while. I sent her to Grafton for a little bit there,” Kristy said of Manhattan Girl.

“She always likes the wide draw so I'm pretty happy with her having the eight.”

Kristy recently picked up a chaser from Western Australia who she believes will be competitive in the Sunshine State.