Plenty of blue sky for Ayres’ promising sprinter

By Pat McLeod

Glass House Mountains trainer Robert Ayres is patiently waiting on the next ‘interesting’ career growth spurt of his very handy sprinter Blue Art.

Part of a successful home-bred litter, the Tommy Shelby and Boscono chaser is taking a six-win streak into Thursday night’s program at Albion Park.

Ayres isn’t confident of victory, but he is confident Blue Art (box two) will continue to improve.

“The breed is slow maturing,” Ayres says.

“It is the same for most of the litter. They will continue to mature and continue to improve. A while ago I predicted that when this dog (Blue Art) had reached a certain maturity he would show that he is a good race dog.

“That is where we are now. He has learnt how to race and is showing that. But, there is more to come with this bloke.

“His best days will be when he is at The Q. I can’t wait to see him race on that big one-turn track. He has already shown that he likes the big Grafton track and I am sure it will be the same at The Q.

“That’s why he loves racing at Capalaba. He’s not the greatest beginner, but his mid-section is very strong and, especially if he has some room, he can really motor.”

To date Blue Art has shown that he is a quality race dog, with his 37 starts reaping 13 wins and 15 placings for $47,405 in prizemoney.

His recent successful campaign includes wins at Ipswich, Capalaba, Grafton and Albion Park.

However, Ayres has reservations about another win at ‘The Creek’ on Thursday night.

“There are some very good dogs in this field,” Ayres says.

“John Corrigan’s Uno Nangar (box six) is the obvious danger. John is a very good trainer and he has a very good dog.

“If she crosses and leads, it’s all over. But, also, she is a very strong finisher so can easily come from behind to win. Jeff Crawford’s dog in box one (Star Turn) is also fast.

“So, you can’t go into this race with confidence. But, my bloke will give 100%. It all comes down to luck in running.”

Ayres says he initially had doubts as to whether Blue Art would progress to this week's race after his victory last week. 

“He pulled up fine. I have (top trainer) Travis Elson check my dogs and he has given him the all-clear," Ayres said. 

Ayres also has littermate Art Of Deception racing in a fifth grade 520 metre event at Albion Park on Thursday night and says the performances of both his dogs could lead to a trip away.

He is considering a trek north for a Rockhampton Cup campaign (heats on April 9 before the Final on April 16).

“I don’t know if they are good enough, but Thursday night will give an indication, especially for Blue Art,” Ayres said.

“If they go really well on Thursday night, then why not? A change of scenery, a different track, can also do a dog the world of good.”