The regional finals of the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase (MDC) are done and some big names have advanced to the semi-final stage of the world’s richest race series.
On Saturday night at Ladbrokes Gardens, Tracker produced one of the runs of the year to claim the Group 2 Sires On Ice Black Top, handing trainer Jason Mackay his fourth win in the famous race.
The eventual champion was a lucky late inclusion in the $40,000 final after pre-race favourite Sooty Keeping was withdrawn with injury, but boy did he make his presence felt with a barnstorming finish to claim a memorable win for connections.
“I’m over the moon…I tell you what, we’ve been around a while, there’s been plenty of these big races here at The Gardens over the 515m but that’s probably one of the biggest wins you’ll ever see,” an elated Mackay told Tim Newbold after the victory.
“Quality field, they can all run fast time, he was last at the winning post, he was fifth in a big bumping duel going through the catching pen, gives them six or seven up the back and stormed over [the top], grabbed them late in pretty fast time…it’s little bit surreal.”
“I’m more over the moon for the owner, Bill Deguara. He’s been around a long time, great bloke, great supporter of greyhound racing and that means the world to him.”
Tracker finished 0.75 lengths ahead of Zipping Chetty [trained by Courtney Barnes] in a time of 29.27, with longtime leader Ritza Kris hanging on for third for Trish Chaker.
“He’s run 29.15 here…if you don’t run in on him or run out on him and let him roll, he’s as quick as any dog in training, simple as that. And he’s got a powerhouse run home time which is great,” Mackay added.
Tracker was all smiles after his biggest career victory at Ladbrokes Gardens
“If you’re last at the winning post in a group race, you aren’t winning…but he found a way to get home…magnificent.”
The son of Aussie Infrared x Dundee Calypso notching up career win number 12 as he readies himself for the semi-finals at Wentworth Park on October 10.
“He’s going to need a stack of luck…Wenty is a different course again, he goes up a grade but if you just let him slide and he gets a sniff in behind you, he showed tonight he can run any dog down in Australia,” Mackay said.
“But you can’t stop and start him, he’s a big lump of a thing, he’s a brilliant worker at home and tonight they just let him roll and he powered over the top.”
It was a similar case for star sprinter Jungle Johnny at Nowra on Monday night, with the reigning Ladbrokes Country Classic champion booking his position in the next round of the series.
Jumping from Box 1 as a prohibitive favourite as the 520m track record holder, bad luck loomed as the only thing that could beat him to the judge.
The Mark Gatt-prepared runner wasn’t brilliant away from the inside draw, but once he got his nose into clear air along the back straight of the Pine Bowl, he was always going to be tough to run down.
Jungle Johnny claiming the Nowra regional final in a time of 29.26 with Cumbria Chrissy and Spring Breezing more than six lengths behind.
“He didn’t come out that good did he and I thought he might be in a bit of trouble but the dog in the two gave him some room and he accelerated through the gap,” Mark Gatt said.
“He lost a bit of time at the start in both Nowra races and it’s hard to explain but there’s a bigger gap between the boxes and the rail at Nowra than there is at Wenty Park.”
“So if you watch the replay, he came out of Box 1 in both runs and went left before straightening himself up and it made it look like he was a bit sideways.”
Jungle Johnny heads back to Wentworth Park where he has run second in the G1 Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg and G1 National Derby
“Anyway, I think going back to Wenty will help that and if he draws dogs inside him, it should help him come out on a better line. He won’t race now until semi-final night.”
And at Grafton on Sunday afternoon, another Group-level greyhound punched his ticket to semi-final night.
Daysea’s Rory had already amassed more than $560,000 in prizemoney before his 23rd career win, with the dual Group 3 winner producing another highlight for his burgeoning resume.
The Tom Tzouvelis-prepared chaser leading all the way over an unsuitable 450m at Grafton, beating home I’m What’s Next and Tarawi Buster in the Northern Rivers decider.
“Grafton had been a bit of a bogey track for him but he went really well in this series and I was impressed with his time in the final,” Tzouvelis said.
“It was nice to see he’s still full of confidence after his fall in the Townsville Cup as well. You don’t know how they will be affected after a fall but he pushed his way through in the heat with no issues and the final was a much easier watch.”
The 2024 Phoenix placegetter no stranger to Wentworth Park either after a tilt at the Golden Easter Egg earlier this year.
“He’s seen the track after racing in the heats and semi-finals of the Egg so it’s good we don’t have to come back down until semi-final night,” Tzouvelis added.
Daysea's Rory alongside trainer Tom Tzouvelis after victory at Grafton
“He’s a very underrated dog, he’s got great early pace and he’s made a lot of group finals for us so it’s nice to have a chance in a race like this.”
“He got beaten by Cumbria Jack by less than a length in the QLD National Sprint Final and we’ve seen what that dog has done since so we’re hopeful he can replicate his form down at Wenty Park.”
The Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase series now moves to Wentworth Park with the City Qualifiers taking place this Saturday night with 13 spots still up for grabs in the semi-finals.
