Michael Patterson takes long-term view with star dog Respectability

By Jordan Gerrans

Michael Patterson has had the Group 3 Golden Ticket series as his main aim for speedy dog Respectability for the best part of the last four months and the team are almost within touching distance.

Patterson – who trains and owns the black dog – qualified fastest of the four Golden Ticket heats on Thursday evening at Albion Park, running an impressive 29.59 seconds from the inside draw in the second heat.

Respectability was placed at Group level on two occasions at Casino across the back end of last year but Patterson says direct entry into the Group 1 Gold Bullion was always his primary focus.

The winner of the $70,000 Golden Ticket on January 19 will receive automatic entry into the $300,000 show-piece a fortnight later.

“I have had the match races in mind for almost four months with him,” the veteran trainer said.

“Brisbane is his home track really.

“The big races are always in the back of your mind, but this is the race we have really set him for.

“I really wanted to put him in a time-trial, shoot-out style of system.”

Respectability claimed the Listed Grafton Cup at just his eighth start last year. 

The Iluka-based trainer and Respectability have been regular visitors to Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club in the dog's 23 start career but the trainer says his kennel star is a much more mature dog this time around.

They last ventured to Albion Park in the middle of July last year.

Before that, Respectability ran at Albion Park on six straight occasions, which included a stunning 29.50 second performance in a fifth grade race.

“That was before he came back and he has come back stronger,” the trainer said.

“He ran 29.50 seconds one day at Albion Park and that shocked me, but I have no doubt he can run quicker.”

Patterson notes that Respectability is a much more mature and stronger dog than the one that visited Albion Park in the middle stages of last year.

He believes trialling and racing at Capalaba, as well as time spent away from the track late last year, helped produce the slick race dog that qualified fastest on Thursday night.

“I am pretty sure it helped him, he certainly learnt a bit,” Patterson said of running at Capalaba.

“But, what really helped the dog was spending time on a farm with a nine month old bitch and he really matured.

“It is hard to say but maybe it was the time, but he has really grown up and is stronger now.

“He was immature previously but now he is a different dog today; he is all business now.”

The heats of the Golden Ticket were conducted as four-dog shoot-outs with Respectability able to lead the entire way from box one in his race. 

“I was very pleased with the run,” Patterson said.

“He is a very fast dog and he has been consistent.

“I trialled him up there two weeks ago and he ran 29.55 and he has gone 29.59 on Thursday night – there is not much in it.

“In that trial, that was his first 520 metre run – I know he is going 484 metres at Casino – but he had a good time off before that.

“I have been pretty pleased with how he has come back.”

The Golden Ticket match races will be run in order from slowest qualifiers to fastest with dogs starting from boxes one and three next Thursday evening.

Patterson and Respectability were handed the three alley and will come up against Springtime Jet, who is prepared by Sharyn Jackson.

Chambers Flat trainer Jackson has been on the rise of late with Springtime Jet the second fastest heat winner on Thursday night, jumping from out wide in seven to score in 29.68 seconds in the last of the four heats. 

Jackson – who is only in the infancy of her training career – was thrilled with the way her kennel star jumped from seven.

“It was sensational as it hard to get from an outside box as you have to beat the inside runners,” Jackson said.

“When he did that and went to the front, it was happy days.”

Looking ahead to the match race, Patterson says he doubts Respectability will be able to lead Springtime Jet from box one but declares there is no doubt that the speed will be on early in the contest.

The Group 3 Golden Ticket Final will be conducted as four two-dog match races with the winner determined by the fastest time.

The winner of the Golden Ticket receives direct entry into the $300,000 Gold Bullion early next month, which is a headline race of the 2022-23 Golden Greys Summer Carnival.

2023 Group 3 Golden Ticket match races

Respectability (Box 3) - 29.59 vs SpringTime Jet (Box 1) - 29.68

De Ferran (Box 3) - 29.80 vs Shipwreck (Box 1) - 29.91

Jay Is Jay (Box 1) - 30.01 vs Hold Me Up (Box 3) - 30.05

Throttle (Box 1) - 30.09 vs Yahiro Bale (Box 3) - 30.17