Affair Bit Of Luck Needed For Roughies To Become Next Millionaire
By Simon Orchard
The fifth edition of the TAB Million Dollar Chase (MDC) has officially reached the midway point of the qualifying phase with nine of 18 venues having run their respective finals.
And of the 28 Chasers who have already secured safe passage to the September 16 semi-finals at Wentworth Park, the likes of Simply Limelight ($10), French Martini ($10) and Shipwreck ($15) can be found firmly at the pointy end of the TAB Futures market for the race.
But if you scroll just a little further down the page, you’ll find some other semi-final bound Chasers who don’t appear to instil the same level of concern for the bookies.
They are the roughies, the outsiders, the bolters – and they are the dogs giving their trainers a million reasons to dream in this latest running of the TAB Million Dollar Chase.
The Ben Talbot-trained Cawbourne Hooper is currently at the mammoth price of $201 to take out the series final, while kennelmate Dana Maggie can be found at the equal biggest quote of $301.
Grant Dunphy’s Affair Bit is not even listed in the market at the moment despite finishing third behind Fantastic Raven and Scramjet in The Gardens MDC qualifier on Saturday night, with Dunphy admitting his charge “would need to improve a few lengths at least” if he was to take out the richest greyhound race in the world.
“I must say when I first got this guy up from Melbourne and I had a look at his form, I thought he must just Chase other dogs for a living. He’d had over 130 starts and only won six races and just seemed to be a perennial placegetter. But to his credit, I trialled him a few times and soon worked out he has some ability,” Dunphy said.
“He didn’t qualify for The Gardens MDC final originally [Affair Bit finished fifth in his heat] but there was a scratching two days before the final and he got a run. Once he got in and landed box one I had to have a bet on him, he opened at $81 to win and $9 to place and I just thought he’d run a good race,” he added.
And run a good race he did, stopping the clock in 29.82 and beating home Mac Ibrox and Mr. Beethoven among a host of other more fancied chances.
The son of 2007 National Sprint Champion Bit Chili landed at Dunphy’s Butterwick property only a few weeks ago, with the spritely 77-year-old stating the TAB Million Dollar Chase wasn’t even on the radar.
“I was actually thinking of going to Wentworth Park with him on the nights of the (Gardens’) heats because I thought all the good dogs would come up to Newcastle and I might have the place to myself in the city. But everyone told me to stick him in so I thought about it for a few days, decided you had to be in it to win it and the rest is history,” Dunphy said.
“We’ll have some fun on the way to the semi-finals with this dog. My wife Di says she’s coming to Sydney for the race so it’ll be a real thrill. I got my first dog [Miss Lidcombe] in 1986 and I can tell you I didn’t know the front from the back, so to be involved in a race 32-years later for a million dollars is pretty unebelievable,” he said.
And should Affair Bit do the unthinkable and take out the September 24 final of the TAB Million Dollar Chase Final, what would Dunphy’s next move be?
“I’ve got a fella that comes and looks after the farm when we go away from time to time, I think he might find himself here for a bit while me and Di go on a cruise around the world,” he said.
In the State’s south, Ben Talbot certainly sprung a surprise with Cawbourne Hooper and Dana Maggie running second and third to qualify through the Wagga MDC regional final.
“Cawbourne Hooper was actually a run short leading into the race so for him to still run that well was great. And Dana Maggie, well she was nearly a 100/1 chance so we certainly didn’t expect that,” he said.
Cawbourne Hooper is no stranger to the series, having made the semi-finals of the MDC earlier in the year where he ran a credible fourth behind Coast Model.
“He’s a seasoned dog that can certainly run once he gets into stride, he’s just a bit slow away so he just needs a bit of luck. His best in town is 30.06 and he’s had 10 starts there now so seems to know the track,” Talbot said.
His less experienced kennel companion, Dana Maggie, is yet to set a paw on the sand at Wentworth Park and will certainly benefit from a run or two at headquarters in the lead up to the biggest race of her career.
“She’s never seen the place so we’ll come up and trial and hopefully have a run before the semis. She’s only had four 500 metre runs in her career so we certainly think she’ll get stronger over the next month or so. She won in 22.88 at Wagga over 400m, she won in 19.31 at Temora over 330m so she can run some time if left alone and that’s the key to her racing,” he said.
The Talbot operation is a true family affair, with Ben admitting the road to the semi-finals would not be possible without the help of wife Tiffany.
“She does it all with me mate and I’d be buggered without her. She feeds the dogs, empties them, works them, and she takes care of me and the three kids Tiara (9), Jaxson (7) and Maddison (5) too. Our family is just trying to have a bit of fun with this race and it’ll be a good family outing to Sydney if nothing else,” Talbot said.
“We’d love to have a dog make the final, it’s what every trainer dreams of … and a dog with ability is still a dog with ability no matter where it’s trained or where it’s run before, so anything is possible. All we can do is prepare our dogs well and hope the six-hour trips up are worth it,” he said.
