Just three hours sleep following his nine-hour drive home from Rockhampton was barely a freshen up for Tom Tzouvelis. He was “buggered” but that didn’t matter. There was no way he was going to miss heading to Grafton.
“I’d raced at Rockhampton the night before and I was buggered, I tell you that much,” Tom explained.
“I drove straight home from Rockhampton – that’s about eight and half, nine hours - caught three hours sleep and then drove the three and quarter hours to Grafton.”
Tom had Valhalla engaged in the $50,000 final of the Jack Sommerville Northern Rivers Cup, and because it was “Jack’s race” it was not negotiable that he was going to Grafton.
“I mean, if it wasn't Jack’s race and Carol and the family weren’t going to be there, I wouldn't have gone to Grafton and I would have sent one of the staff,” he said.
“But it was and I wanted to make sure I caught up with everyone, whether we won or lost wasn't the point, I just wanted to make sure I caught with them and showed Jack the respect he deserved, and see Carol and spend time with her, and that’s why I made such an effort to get there.”
Jack Sommerville was an icon in the Northern Rivers, the on-track vet for several decades at Grafton, Casino, Lismore and at Tweed Heads, as well as servicing greyhound participants right across the Northern Rivers and up to the Queensland border.
Jack passed away in January this year and the event was the collaboration of the Tweed Heads Coursing Club (who sponsor the series), and the Casino and Grafton clubs which both ran heats leading into Saturday night’s final.
“When Tweed Heads announced they were going to run the race at Grafton, and it was named after Jack, I wanted to make sure we tried to have some runners in the race. You always hope you win it, but Jack was such a great vet and a great person.
“I remember the days going to the Tweed Heads when I first started training and Jack was there and he worked at all the tracks, Tweed, Casino, Lismore and Grafton, and he was just one of those fellas who treated everyone the same. He was a gentleman and one of the nicest people you would meet on the track, and Carol went with him everywhere and she was the same.
“The pair of them would treat everyone like they were their best friends.
“As people know nowadays with vets they can be expensive and Jack was always mindful of looking after people. They had to run a business and make money but they never overcharged and looked after people especially people down in the Northern Rivers. They would go to their property and made life so easy for a lot of people in that area.
“I wanted to make sure that we were there because I hadn't seen Carol for a little while and it was great seeing her and the family last night at the track.
“And it was an honour winning the race named in Jack’s honour.”
Valhalla – who dominates every time he steps onto the Capalaba straight track - continued his remarkable run of form, leading from soon after the start to score in 25.19s from Reg Gardoll’s Albert’s Memory with Isurava for Gary Smith in third.
“He can run really good times on any shape of track, he's just been so dominant at Capalaba and the money has been so good,” Tom said.
“I got lazy in the sense where we could just line up there and barring something out of the ordinary it was easy to get the job done. He hasn't been beaten at Capalaba since September.
“He's probably as consistent a dog as I've ever had. He's won 17 of these last 19. Obviously last week in the heat, he walked out and he also got beaten in the heat of the Group 1 (Gold Bullion) at Albion Park.
“I didn't really give him a very good preparation for the Group 1 at Albion because until February hadn't had a circle start since July. I gave him two trials at Albion Park, a 395m and a post a post, and he was only beaten 2½ lengths by Morton who ended up winning the final.
“Early in the piece when he was really young, I was ready to put him in 600m races because he his last sections on the 520m were just so strong. Thankfully that translates at Capalaba really well and I think he has eight of the 10 fastest run homes at Capalaba. If you break 14s at there running home you’re getting to the line good. He gets home in 13.20s.
“He is never a fast beginner and that’s another reason we kept him on the straight as long as we have. He comes out with them or behind them, that’s pretty much it. He’s never jumped in front in his life and the day he does he will probably break a track record.”
Tom plans to give Valhalla a “proper preparation” and tackle the rich Brisbane Cup in June. He won’t attempt The Thunderbolt, the world’s richest shortcourse race, at Grafton as those sprinters will be too quick for Valhalla early and would likely “chop him out”.
But he will be back at Grafton in July for the Winter Carnival.
Grafton Greyhound Club Chief Executive Brennan Naidoo described the evening as a “fantastic night to honour Jack.”
“It was amazing to have Jack’s family here and brilliant to see the response we received from owners and trainers who had met Jack and been around Jack for so many years,” Brennan said.
“It was great night and a nice way to remember Jack and what he stood for as a vet and a man.
“Jack was a man of the country who liked talking to people, supporting people and that’s what the industry is about. We have got to remember that.”
