Five star finish for Martina Kirillidis

By Jordan Gerrans

The result of the first event at Q2 Parklands on Sunday night more closely resembled a training gallop at Martina Kirillidis’ Churchable kennel than an actual race.

As they crossed the finish line in the 520 metre maiden contest, it just kept coming up Kirillidis.

In a remarkable result, the Queensland conditioner prepared the first five runners past the post in the race.

A quinella or a trifecta from the same kennel happens every now and again in greyhound racing, but for the first handful to be from the same trainer – it is a rare occurrence.

For the record, High Prayer landed the prize, ahead of her four kennelmates, by almost two lengths in 30.20 seconds.

Evening Everyone, High Leak, Blackjack Table and Buffalo Theory followed High Prayer in to bring up the unusual milestone for Kirillidis, who trains alongside her partner Tim Britton. 

“It's definitely not something you see every day,” Kirillidis said.

“There mustn't have been too many maidens floating around on Sunday night for our kennel to have half the field.

"It was very, very good and honestly a little bit of an unexpected result. I think the best I've done might be training the first three before this.

“I thought the three (Marry Me Molly) and the four (Pannonia) would have been in it more than a couple of the other ones I had in the field.

“I had a few people texting me about it and I saw it popping up over social media. It's been a while since we've had, I want to say, a majority of the field.

“That is usually in a staying race when we have the majority of the field. I think the last time we had a full field of maidens was back home in Geelong.”

Pannonia, from the Terence Priest kennel, and Stephen Sherwell’s Marry Me Molly were the only two chasers in the event who were not prepared by Kirillidis after a couple of scratchings.

Pannonia and Marry Me Molly followed the Kirillidis five in to round out the field.

High Prayer, who won from the six alley, is only a newcomer to the Sunshine State after previously doing her racing for Korie-Lee Heinrich in Victoria.

The daughter of Space Star placed in one of her three efforts down south and scored first-up in her new surrounds.

“We've got all these young dogs coming through and High Prayer and High Leak, they just came up to us, I want to say about two weeks ago,” she said.

"And, they were both, I think, on the money.

“The others still probably have got a bit of work to do before they break their maidens.”

Kirillidis was recognised with the Young Achiever Award at the 2024 Queensland Greyhound Awards.

High Leak is a litter sister to High Prayer and started as the favourite in Sunday’s event, but could only manage third from the red starting position.

Evening Everyone and Buffalo Theory are also litter siblings from a Space Star and Cash It In mating.

Space Star was a multiple Group 1 champion for the Britton racing clan in his racing days before retiring to stud duties.

“Evening Everyone and Buffalo Theory have actually been doing not too bad,” Kirillidis said.

“They have had a few runs at Capalaba. I think that was Evening Everyone’s first run on the two-turn track, so hopefully we can get them two further over the distance.”

Meanwhile, the Britton kennel will be represented in Saturday’s Group 1 Queensland Cup decider by Mepunga Breeze, who won a heat in 41.28 seconds.

Mepunga Lara has also qualified for the 710 metre feature event after finishing second to Magpie Hector in the opening heat.

Breeze has drawn the one for the Final as Lara will jump from alongside him in the two.

Jeffrey Britton prepares Breeze and Lara.

“Breeze had been winning well in Melbourne, but he had not been running time,” Jeffrey said.

“Maybe, it is the heavy tracks down in Melbourne.

“It was a real test for him in the heats against that field and he used the rail. He held strong to the line.”