Greyhound racing - or more specifically the TAB Million Dollar Chase - has suddenly become very strategic, with trainers around the country busily, and tactically, plotting and planning to advance in the series.
Adam Crouch is no exception. Adam - who along with his father Andrew, trains last year’s Million Dollar Chase runner-up Jamella Jet - has looked at the geography of the series, where all 14 regional events will be staged, and come up with a plan he hopes gives Jamella Jet and his kennelmate Sorry Scott, the best possible path into the MDC semi-finals.
“Looking at the geography of NSW and where all the heats are being held, I came up with Gosford,” Adam explained.
“I was hoping that the Victorians wouldn’t bypass all the other tracks to get to Gosford, and also the Queenslanders have a few options (across the north of NSW) before getting to Gosford too. So I thought we might be able to get through, and get through nice and early.
“It is far more strategic now. You never really had to think this much about where to go to race. Normally it’s just a straight heat and final sort of thing, and you’ve only got one option, but this year we had to have a look and try and find out by word of mouth where certain people are going to go, and try to navigate the easiest route into the semis, and hopefully Gosford is that path for us.
“He hasn’t raced there but I’ve taken both of them (Sorry Scott is also entered for the Gosford heats) up there twice over the last couple of weeks to have a trial and look around there, so they should be pretty familiar with it come the heats.
“As I said, we want to get in and get it out of the way so we can focus, and not be rushed in the last minute like we were last year, to get them though.”
Jamella Jet came out of nowhere last year in the Million Dollar Chase. He had raced just 10 times before entering the series at Richmond, then after missing out in that regional final, the Crouchs took him to Wentworth Park for the City Qualifiers, where he scraped through to the semi-finals finishing third behind Mystic Riot, then six days later he won his semi-final.
History now shows that Jamella Jet - at just his 15th race start- got within ¾ length from Mystic Riot and the $1 million prize in the Grand Final.
Now with 33 starts, 13 wins and a Group success in The Ambrosoli over Easter to his credit, Adam says that while much has stayed the same, there are some notable changes in Jamella Jet.
“He’s still running the times he has always been running but I think he’s got that experience and class about him now,” Adam said. “He was very green and immature 12 months ago, at home and especially travelling, he sort of didn’t take it in his stride.
“But now he’s just a veteran. He knows what he’s there to do and I guess you could say that over the last 12 months he’s improved his box speed as well box manners and that’s certainly a plus and something he had to work on, and it’s gone in the right direction.
“He’s going well.”
Two heats of the TAB Million Dollar Chase were drawn on Friday for next Tuesday’s meeting.
Apart from the Crouch pair, there are some handy dogs, including Double Back, Kid Candle, Nangar Jack and Sheba’s Dream.
Both Jamella Jet and Sorry Scott will go around in The MACCA – the Black Top Consolation – at LADBROKES GARDENS tonight.
Last week in the heats, Jamella Jet finished third to Aston Duke and ran the fifth fastest time of the four heats. Sorry Scott was fourth to Sheba’s Dream, so both made it into the Consolation … something Adam was unaware of.
“I’ll be honest that I didn’t know about the Consolation, so when it was drawn on Tuesday, in terms of Gosford, I thought: “Oh no.”
“But it doesn’t affect the plans too much. They can both back up with the four or five days rest, no problems at all, just as long as they get through tonight unscathed.”
