Johnstone's Sirius about Vince Curry prospects

By Alex Nolan

Trainer Darren Johnstone hopes to put a tough 2022 behind him and Vince Curry Memorial semi-finalist Sirius Sandy could go a long way to making that happen if she can qualify for the rich Final.

Sirius Sandy ran the third-overall fastest time of the eight heats (30.61 seconds) at Ipswich last Saturday, despite having to settle for second to Hara’s Boots, who stopped the clock in 30.46 seconds.

Jumping cleanly from box four last week – and running a slick first section of 5.34 seconds – Sirius Sandy was still forced to chase the Tarquin Neal-trained Hara’s Boots (5.28 first section) throughout.

She would finish two lengths adrift of the winner but a whopping 11 lengths ahead of the chasing pack.

The daughter of Zambora Brockie, out of the Johnstones’ talented but troublesome Molly Anne, is perfectly drawn to go one better in Saturday’s third semi-final at the Showgrounds.

Sirius Sandy has drawn the rails for her assignment, which includes heat winners Valpolicella in box three and Brightest Gunn in box four.

Despite racing the clock to get Sirius Sandy ready for the series, Johnstone was thrilled with how the 18-month-old handled her racing debut and hopes she can give things another shake on Saturday.

“I didn’t know if I’d have her ready in time and she’d only had a couple of 520 metre trials beforehand,” Johnstone said.

“She had trialled in 30.70 seconds so I knew she could run around the right time, but it was a question of whether she could do it in a field because she’d only been in three-dog trials.

“Luckily, she got out of the boxes well so she didn’t have to compete with the field.

“This week there are a couple of fast and strong dogs around her but she went 5.34 seconds the first section last week.

“I was rapt getting box one and if she can get out like she did last week and lead, I think she’ll be hard to beat.”

Johnstone said Sirius Sandy put her hand up early to be considered for a series like the Vince Curry, despite being broken in later than the males in her litter.

The Churchable trainer, who notched 89 winners in 2021 at a strike-rate of 18%, including the Queensland Distance Championship with Maggie Moo Moo, said he did have some reservations about how the litter might stand up considering the racing traits of their dam.

That, coupled with a failed mating between Zambora Brockie and Johnstone’s former handy sprinter Daisy Dreams, had stuck in the trainer’s mind.    

“Molly had some indiscretions in her racing but I still think she had Group potential,” he said of Sirius Sandy’s dam.

“Due to her indiscretions it was a risk to breed with her but I always had the belief.”

After a tough year on the track in 2022, when Johnstone prepared 24 winners at a strike-rate of 8%, the trainer has hope that this litter can help begin to turn things around.

“I’m really looking forward to this Molly Anne litter,” he said.

“There are a couple of handy ones coming through in the next month or two.

“I had a really bad year last year. The previous couple of years were good years with Federal Morgan and Maggie Moo Moo taking me to Thursday night racing.

“Last year I had a lack of stock and dogs that weren’t going too well.

“I’ve got a couple of litters and pups coming through over the next 18 months of various ages and hopefully it’s onwards and upwards from now on.”

Among them is another litter out of Molly Anne by Fernando Bale and a litter by sire of the moment Sennachie.

Further down the track, Johnstone is looking forward to rearing and breaking in a litter out of kennel star Maggie Moo Moo by Aston Rupee.

The litter just turned five weeks old and are likely to remain on the Johnstones’ property for the near and long term.

“I’ve had a few enquiries but I’ll be holding onto them,” he said.

“I’m not into it for selling pups, I get more joy out of enjoying the ride and hopefully finding a good dog. It would take a pretty big offer to sell one of her pups.”

The first and second-placed greyhounds in four heats of Saturday’s semi-finals at Ipswich will progress to the $75,000 Final next week.

The first of four heats gets under way at 6:37 pm.