You see, the 28-year-old greyhound trainer also moonlights as a singer, and alongside her guitar playing husband Matt, the Cappers have entertained crowds at dog tracks across the Hunter for the last few years.
“Sometimes we do gigs as a little duo, but other times we collaborate with the Wedgetail band which is Dennis Hiscock and Lloyd Jansen…and I just get thrown in the mix,” Capper laughed.
Amber and Matt Capper performing on track
“We used to do a bit more singing and performing when we only had a few dogs, but now I’m training fulltime so the singing has sort of been pushed to the side.”
“If we have a spare weekend or we haven’t planned to take a dog somewhere, we might squeeze something in. Singing was more consistent pay wise but I find if I do a lot of singing it becomes a bit of a chore, whereas I could do the dogs day in and day out…I really enjoy it.”
The Jerry Plains-based mentor looking forward to being in the spotlight for a totally different reason on Saturday night though as her young sprinter, Mighty Henry, lines up in the final of the Robert Smith Memorial maiden.
“I’m by far the smallest trainer in the field in terms of kennel size and I’m the little battler against some of the best in the sport,” Capper added.
The Capper family on track at The Gardens
“But it could be a really good opportunity as well. We don’t have any superstars in the kennel, we’ve got a lot of bread-and-butter dogs but I’d like to get a better calibre of greyhound in the team.”
“We want to race at Wentworth Park more often, we want more 500m dogs and this could be a stepping stone towards that if Mighty Henry goes alright on Saturday night.”
The son of Koblenz x Mighty Mrs qualifying for the $20,000 feature final after a runner-up performance in the heats behind exciting talent, Blue Storm.
The 29.71 performance setup by the fastest first section time (4.96) across the four preliminaries.
“I thought he’d lead because he does have early pace and good mid race burn but that was his third ever 500 so he was a little underdone,” Capper added.
“He had two goes over 400m at The Gardens before the series and he missed the start in one and copped a bit of a tap at box rise in the other.”
“I thought the 500m start with a longer run to the bend would suit him better and would allow him to make the most of his pace.”
Capper also revelling in the opportunity to train a pup she almost purchased as a youngster.
“Matt and I actually tried to buy him when he was three-months-old,” she added.
“But the owners [the Mighty Chasers syndicate] said they were going to keep him. A few months later, Eden, who runs the syndicate, rang me after the dog has been broken in and asked if we’d like to train him.”
“I remember getting him into the kennel and he has a very undershot jaw…that’s when I said “this is the pup I liked” to Matt…it’s pretty amazing we’re in a race worth $20,000 with him now.”
The final shaping up as one of the best in the history of the race, with Blue Storm and She’s Alluring running faster heat times than the previous four final winners.
“I think Blue Storm will be the favourite for the final, only because She’s Alluring was a bit slow early and she might have to navigate some traffic at the first bend,” Capper said.
“I think our bloke could lead them into the first corner but if Blue Storm or She’s Alluring settle close to him, they will run him down. He needs to lead, get in front and get a fly around the corner and then hopefully they won’t be able to run him down.”
The Robert Smith Memorial Maiden (515m) final, worth $20,000 to the winner, will be decided on Saturday night at The Gardens.
The series, sponsored by Kevin Gordon and Multicam, remembers the late trainer Robert Smith who sadly passed away from cancer, aged 68.
