Dargusch proud of honest performer Raptor Girl

By Josh Spasaro 

Bailey Dargusch concedes Raptor Girl will likely never reach the dizzy heights of Group 1 glory, but he has been rapt with her efforts every week.

She will start from box five in the Rockhampton Young Guns Final, with kennelmate I’m The Problem on her outside, on Wednesday night.

Dargusch’s mother Casey will have Mizuki Heart jumping from box eight in the $7,980 feature over 510 metres.

Raptor Girl fought hard to finish third in her heat. The two-year-old bitch has three wins from 24 starts going into this week’s assignment.

“She was pretty gutsy. She got a nice run up on the rail at the first turn, but she’d never been out of those boxes,” Bailey Dargusch said.

“She won’t leave the rail either, so I’m just hoping she can sit in a nice spot going through the turn and not get into too much trouble.

“Hopefully she doesn’t come out too bad or too good when she gets into trouble either flopping out or jumping how she can.”

The young Churchable conditioner said his diminutive blue bitch had a big heart and loved competing.

“She’s no champion and she never will be a champion, but she puts in every week and I can’t ask much more from her,” he said.

“She’s got nice early box speed, a lot of heart, a lot of chase in her and she’s just a lovely dog to have.”

By Aussie Infrared and out of Babs Kramer, Dargusch said his juvenile bitch inherited her love of racing from her dam.

“I think the chase definitely comes out of the dam. Her first litter that Mark Saal bred, I think they were Zambora Brockies, with progeny Van Helsing and Walk Right In,” he said.

“This litter, they’re all fast and have their own separate traits. The mum was a stayer who flopped out and ran home and was pretty quick early and not the strongest.

“But, I think she got the chase from the mum.”

Dargusch will also have two-year-old black dog I’m The Problem starting from box six on Wednesday night.

He finished second in his heat behind Roxy Cambla for Louise Cameron.

“He’s the faster dog of my two. It’s just that he’s not as strong as her and hasn’t fully worked it out. He’s not as quick early as her, either,” Dargusch said.

“He’ll probably get too far back. But, it was a good run in his heat. It was only his second look at the joint in his first ever run over 510 metres. So, I was pretty happy with him, as well.

“He was going really good at one point and then went off a little bit. But, he’s starting to get back better.

“I’m just hoping this change of scenery will strengthen him up and he should come back to the dog he was not long ago.”

By Hooked On Scotch, I’m The Problem is out of Cage To Rattle, who Casey Dargusch trained to nine wins from 35 starts.

I’m The Problem has five wins from 23 starts and is a striking big black dog.

“He’s nice, big and long. The mum was a shorter, stockier type of bitch,” Bailey Dargusch said.

“But, she was the maddest chaser you’ve seen and she was pretty fast, too.

“His sister who I also train, It’s Me Hi, she’s also won a race now. He’s still fast and has the ability. But, the mum was a pretty hard chaser.

“The mum’s still here, she’ll just live out her days here.”

Dargusch said his mother Casey’s two-year-old bitch, Mizuki Heart, was the best chance of the family’s three runners in the Rockhampton Young Guns Final on Wednesday night.

She finished fourth behind Roxy Cambla in her heat and has three wins from 19 starts.

“I think she’s the best chance of the three of them because she is very strong,” Bailey Dargusch said.

“I know she got beaten a long way in the heat, but she produced a huge run.

“She got put to the outside fence at the first turn and then recovered and then was troubled the whole way around.

“If she gets through the first turn in a nice spot and doesn’t get into too much trouble, then whatever is in front will want to be a long way in front of her. She’s a very strong bitch.”