Daley lives award criteria leading into Golden Chase heats

By Pat McLeod

Jemma Daley is certainly living up to her recent industry accolade as she steers her kennel towards five quality-packed heats of the rich Golden Chase Sprint on the Q1 Lakeside on Saturday night.

The South Brisbane-based trainer received the prestigious Women in Racing award at the industry’s Queensland presentations last Friday night.

The annual award is an acknowledgement of the recipient’s success and contribution to greyhound racing.

That night Daley explained that she was on 24-hour alert as one of the kennel’s broodbitches, Hara’s Pandora, was about to whelp a litter.

This week that happened and Daley started an around-the-clock vigil, looking after the seven new-borns and their mum.

“What I am doing now, I guess is one of the reasons I received the award,” she explains.

“I am a firm believer in doing everything right.

“There is no point having a crack if you are going to cut corners. If you're not going to do the right thing by the animals, then you don't deserve to be in this industry.

“Our whole kennel, all the people involved, take pride in following through with everything that we do.

“That’s why the award that I received pretty much sits at the top of what we have done in greyhound racing so far, because it is recognition of what the whole kennel has achieved.”

Daley explained that the whelping vigil also included planning out the final preparation for the five dogs who will contest Saturday night’s heats and also attempts to organise an ‘Adoption Day’ at The Q.

“Rehoming is one thing that I take great pride in,” she said.

Daley’s Hara’s Neo claimed second place (behind Travis Elson’s Scrub’s Blue) in the recent opening Golden Chase feature on the Q Straight.

She believes her chances of success increase with the move to the 457 metre track on the Q1 Lakeside.

“The five dogs I have in the heats on Saturday night are a pretty even bunch,” she said.

“Neo has probably got the most exposed form of the five.

“Hara’s Otis is starting to come through now and has trialled well this week leading into the heats.

“He has box two and will be trying to get across to the rails ahead of Scrub’s Blue (box one) or will park behind that dog.

“Hara’s Oden is boxed perfectly in the eight (in the opening heat). That's where he wants to be, out wide.

“He definitely has got a lot of ability and at this stage probably hasn't put his heart and soul into it. But, if the penny drops, I believe he could be dangerous."

Daley thinks Gold Alaska could be a 'real smoky'. 

"We are not sure if she is going to run the trip, but she deserves a chance in this series," she said. 

“She should get plenty of room coming out of the seven. She jumps well, but her first 50 metres after she jumps, she can really explode.

“I would really need to see her out in front because I believe the distance will be the real query on her.

“I hope she proves me wrong and keeps running.”

The $50,000 Golden Chase Sprint will be staged across heats, semi-finals and then Final.