Wooler family target home track Townsville Young Guns heats
The Wooler family, a powerhouse in the North Queensland greyhound racing circuit, are preparing for a formidable campaign in the upcoming Townsville Young Guns heats with four strong contenders.
The clan, steeped in greyhound pedigree, is poised to potentially mark their first triumph in this challenging competition.
Jo Wooler, the matriarch of the family and a stalwart of the Townsville greyhound racing scene for three decades, acknowledges the steep climb to a finals berth despite their four runners participating in the three heats.
“These are hard races,” she commented, candidly noting the prowess of other competitors such as Good Odds Rascal, trained by Michael Hickmott, and track record holder Senor Yogi.
“All three heats are very strong. It comes down to luck. If you can qualify for the Final and draw the right box, well we are in with a chance.”
The Wooler family's four entries in the Townsville Young Guns Open over 380 metres heats are Home Slice in the first heat, Eyes On Meg in the second, and Hara's Houdini and Jingalong Lotte in the third heat.
Jo and her husband Andrew, stalwarts of the North Queensland greyhound scene, navigate the racing landscape with help from Jo's mother Patricia Groves and her younger brother Peter.
In recent years, the couple's offspring, Drew, 25, a high school maths and science teacher, and daughter Hayley, 21, have also begun contributing to the family business.
Both children are registered trainers, with Hayley showing a particular aptitude for the role.
“She is doing quite well for herself as a young trainer,” Jo proudly stated.
Hayley's focus lies in the breeding aspect, demonstrating careful discernment when choosing dogs for their kennels.
Jo added, “Hayley is certainly committed to greyhound racing. She takes a lot of pride in how the dogs are presented, making sure that the dogs have the best of everything.”
Jo revealed that Andrew has shifted his focus from training to rearing, managing a brood of 14 pups.
Their race dogs are housed on a half-acre block near Townsville, while Andrew rears the young dogs on a six-acre property at Alligator Creek, a short distance to the south of Townsville.
This division of labour allows the Wooler family to cover all aspects of the greyhound business – breeding, rearing, training, and racing.
Currently, Andrew is nurturing 10 pups from their first-ever litter, Aussie Infrared x Super Hard.
Super Hard, a veteran racer, clinched 21 victories across a range of distances from 380 metres to 643 metres.
The Wooler family aims to develop their stock and build upon it.
“Andrew loves the rearing side of things. As he says, it is great to win a race. It is a real buzz. But, if it is a pup that you have had from a young age and reared it and educated it, then that is even something more special,” Jo explained.
Jo and Hayley share the training duties, enjoying the camaraderie and the joy of working with the dogs.
Despite their numerous qualifications for the Final, the Wooler family has yet to secure a win in the Young Guns.
This time, they're heading into the competition hopeful, with Jo saying, “So, we go in to this one with our fingers crossed and with an ounce of luck you never know.”
“Eyes on Meg is probably our best chance. She has run some pretty good times in Townsville,” Jo continued. The only thing needed now, she believes, is a touch of luck in the race's critical initial metres.