Partland family seeing the fruits of hard work

By Jordan Gerrans

After winning two heats of the prized Townsville Wildcard series on Tuesday evening, local dog man Mark Partland had plenty to reflect on when considering how far his growing kennel has come in recent years.

The South Townsville-based Partland is on track to record a career-best tally of winners in the 2026 season, currently boasting 69 winners for the year.

It was only in 2021 that the kennel collected seven winners for the year, when the Partlands were just starting out in North Queensland.

Partland, who trains alongside his wife Louise and his daughter Mikaela, has slowly built up his training facilities at his home property as his kennel numbers have grown over the last few years.

After Starry Raymar and She's Spirited won heats of the Townsville Wildcard earlier this week, the hard-working trainer said the performances showcased where his racing team is heading.

Slim Nikita – who is a litter sibling to She's Spirited – finished second in the heat and has also progressed to the Townsville Wildcard Final, which offers the winner direct entry into the upcoming Townsville Cup.

“You can measure your best year in a number of ways,” Partland said of his training efforts.

“I think we've got some really good young dogs coming through, which we probably didn't have before.

“We've bred a few, quite a lot. 

"I've got a couple of bitches through Stephen Kavanagh of the Rumble line here that we've bred with and we have got another one to breed with.

“Steve's been a massive help. We're not seeing those results yet. They're all out in the yard.

“We've got one litter running around at the moment and Steve has a few racing in Brisbane.

“So, we're starting to see the fruits of some good breeding there coming through, as well.”

Wildcard heat winner Starry Raymar has only been to the races 26 times, while She's Spirited and Slim Nikita are still only two years old.

“Our kennel's going well at the moment. So, we'll take the highs,” Partland said.

“We've got a really good young kennel and to get three in the Final is a good representation of where we're at the moment. 

“We are very, very happy. The kennel is a very young kennel.

"We'll take the highs while we're on the high, but the quieter times are always coming. You've just got to grab it while you can.”

The Partland kennel posted 89 winners in the 2025 season, after recording 80 the previous year and 71 victories in 2023.

With 69 winners already in 2026 and it is only late August, there is every chance the team will surpass its previous high mark.

The consistent results, as well as the increased participation in feature events, are a feather in the cap for the entire family, Partland believes.

With a big team of chasers set to compete at Townsville's Friday meeting, there is every chance they skip past 70 winners for the season this week. 

“Our kennel’s grown,” he said.

“Our property, we started from scratch three years ago. So, it's done, all the infrastructure's done now.

“So, now it's time just to focus on the dogs. It's been a lot of hard work from people that helped us and Louise. A lot of hard work, but anyway, we're getting there.

“That's what's good when you have nights like Tuesday night. You actually go, wow. You can see the horizon.

“It's only me and Lou who do it. My daughter helps on race night and comes out and helps now and then. So, between the three of us, it's quite rewarding.”

The Partland family is set to move into full-time greyhound training in the near future as they wind down their other business interests in the Townsville area.

Starry Raymar was the quickest of the two Partland-prepared runners in Tuesday’s Wildcard heats over 498 metres, scoring in 28.83 seconds.

Starry Raymar has now won five of his last six starts after recently stepping up from 380 metres, having come close to breaking the track record over the sprint journey earlier in his career.

“He's a nice young dog,” the trainer said.

“He's come on a bit. He's coming good, so he'll only keep improving. Just in himself, he's always been a dog with plenty of potential.”

Kennelmate She's Spirited got home in 29.01 seconds from the pink alley.

Michael Hickmott’s Takeover Target posted the fastest time of the four heats on Tuesday night, winning in 28.45 seconds from box six in the last of the heats.

Partland believes Takeover Target will be hard to beat in the decider, but is confident his trio of runners will be competitive.