Wyndra has box and distance ticked for Wildcard

By Josh Spasaro

If Wyndra All Smoke can run faster than her impressive heat performance, she will be very tough to beat in the Rockhampton Wildcard Final on Wednesday night.

That was the thought of the two-year-old bitch’s owner, Brian Barton, ahead of the $24,000 feature race over 510 metres.

Trained by Ken Boody, the developing chaser with six wins from 17 starts produced the fastest heat time of 29.77 seconds, comfortably saluting by three-and-three-quarter lengths.

And, in an ominous sign for her opponents, Wyndra All Smoke will jump from box one this week.

Barton lives in the Southern Highlands in New South Wales.

“Her first trial there I think she went 29.90 seconds. The other day she went 29.77 seconds and hopefully she’ll improve off that,” Barton said. 

“She’s run 500 metres down here. We’ve been holding her back over the 500 metres for this race.

“But, down here, she won the maiden consolation race over the 520 metres at Wentworth Park.

“It was a $10,000 race. Out of box one with her early speed and plus her finish, I think she’ll be pretty strong and hard to beat.”

Most exciting for Barton was the way Wyndra All Smoke lengthened on her opponents on the home straight in her heat victory last week.

“I know she can run 500 metres. We’ve known that from the start. But, we set this race in the calendar, so we just kept her over the 400 metres and lightly raced her,” he said.

“She’s ready for 500 metres knowing that she’ll have a crack at this.”

Barton bought Wyndra All Smoke with the memory of his late wife Sue in mind, who was a much-loved member of the greyhound racing community before she tragically passed away from brain cancer in 2023.

Wyndra All Smoke is by the late, great Fernando Bale and out of strong-performing brood bitch Yuko Girl, who beat Wyndra All Class in the 2023 Richmond Oaks Final.

Sue had a special bond with Wyndra All Class, who she and Brian nicknamed Annie after their anniversary.

Wyndra All Class' 2023 Group 1 National Futurity Final victory at Wentworth Park – with Sue trackside to see it – was a great moment in greyhound racing.

Wyndra All Class never left Sue’s side.

And, with Wyndra All Smoke out of Yuko Girl, it added a sentimental touch to Barton, who sees breeding potential in the two-year-old bitch, much like Wyndra All Class, who now lives with him.

“I bought Wyndra All Smoke for the sire, but I also bought her for the dam because my late wife and I owned Wyndra All Class, who won the National Futurity,” he said.

“And, we ran second to Yuko Girl at the Oaks at Richmond. I bought her for breeding.

“The brother races over at Wentworth Park, Wyndra All Heart. He’s won five times, got seven seconds and four thirds at 'Wenty' over 500 metres.

“I just mainly bought her for the breeding – they can run 500 metres, especially being by Fernando Bale and out of Yuko Girl.”

Barton will also have Wyndra All Sass – by Bernardo and out of Miss Ezmae – lining up from box three for Ken Boody in the Rockhampton Wildcard Final on Wednesday night.

She finished runner-up in her heat behind Quest For Pace in a time of 30.07 seconds.

“She’s a fast bitch, if she gets where she wants to be on the track,” Barton said.

“She is a bit of a wide runner. If you take the wide-running trait out of her, she runs phenomenal times.

“But, as a wide runner she just does it harder. If she gets where she wants to be on the track, she’ll be up there, as well.

“I bought her for the Miss Ezmae line, so yet again I can breed from her.”

Ken Boody will also have Jalapeno Popper and Abraxos lining up in the 510 metre feature race on Wednesday night.