Hara’s River taking hot form into Ipswich Young Guns

By Jordan Gerrans

The time-honoured Vince Curry Memorial was the original plan for promising youngster Hara’s River but now in hindsight, trainer Jemma Daley believes missing the Group 3 Final was a blessing in disguise.

From an exciting Fernando Bale and Hara's Honey litter, Hara’s River has gone on a winning spree since the Vince Curry series, putting three victories in the line.

After not qualifying for the popular Vince Curry Final, Daley and her chaser will search for black-type success earlier in the bitch’s career through the Listed Ipswich Young Guns.

Hara’s River has drawn the four alley in the third of the four heats for the Young Guns series on Saturday evening.

“Now that I look back on it, now as she has so much confidence under her belt as she has gone from strength to strength since,” Daley says about missing out on the Vince Curry Final.

“She has always been a very nice bitch and there is plenty of upside about her.

“It is going to be hard from the four, she has not been blessed with box draws to date.

“Hopefully she is starting to get a bit more field sense about her and she can navigate a path through the first bend.”

Daley, a former track work rider and jockey in the thoroughbred code before turning her hand to training dogs, has been with the Fernando Bale and Hara's Honey litter since they were three months old.

Of the five who have started in races, four have won races, with Hara’s River the star of the group so far with three victories on her resume.

The white brindle bitch was one of the first dogs Daley reared for owner and breeder Tony Glover.

“She was always a very nice pup all the way through, her and the litter,” Daley said of Hara’s River.

“They broke in good and I always had an opinion of her.

“I am very fortunate to have Tony Glover behind me with these dogs.

“All the credit does go to Tony as he does put so much time into the breeding, he deserves to get some good ones.”

While the litter’s early success has brought fortunes towards the kennel, it is bitter-sweet for Daley and Glover.

The greyhound industry in the Sunshine State lost the popular Michael ‘Tricky’ Stephenson in May of last year.

The late Tricky was a mentor of Daley’s as she transitioned from her experience with the gallopers to now running a sizeable and prolific kennel out of Kurwongbah.

Tricky’s passing was sudden and unexpected with the veteran trainer and Glover long planning for him to train the litter that Daley is now preparing to great success.

“Just the way circumstances are, I have ended up with the entire litter to train,” Daley said.

“It is satisfying to see the whole litter going well, they are all showing potential.

“They are all very strong bitches, which is something to look forward too.”

The 32-year-old Daley has a kennel of 17 in work as well as upwards of 30 pups.

The Young Guns Series is contested over the 520 metre journey for dogs that are 30 months and younger.

Heats will be run this Saturday before a Final seven days later, which will be worth $25,000 at Listed level.

The Daley team will have another hopeful in Saturday’s heat, kennel mate to Hara’s River – Hara’s Betty.

She will jump with the black rug on in the second heat of the evening.

“Betty has a lot of ability but she has been crucified by box draws to date,” Daley said.

“If she gets some luck around that first corner, she should be there.

“She is just struggling with the wide draws at the moment.”

The Past Members Final will also be run on Saturday night at Ipswich.