Amplified makes some noise with Cannington win
If Amplified gets a little bit of good fortune, good luck catching her.
This was the case after her classy victory in the $35,625 Paradise Street Trophy (600m) at Cannington on Saturday night, recording an impressive 34.78 seconds and saluting by a length and a half.
The two-year-old for Steve and Krystal Shinners won comfortably despite starting from the tricky four box.
And her next big assignment could be another Group start she'd be a very good chance of winning – the Darwin Cup in August.
“She went super. It went to plan. It doesn't always happen that way, but she's a good little tryer,” Steve Shinners told AustralianRacingGreyhound.com.
“Just the way the race was boxed she probably got a bit of luck with the other dogs getting into a bit of trouble.
“In saying that too, she's probably the type of dog that when she gets in front if someone gets near her she generally responds.
“She doesn't like being beaten – she's got a bit of determination about her, which is good.”
Shinners is now looking into the possibility of Amplified starting in the Darwin Cup.
But the meticulous trainer who's had no shortage of success is looking at a place for her to stay with Top End friends – in air-conditioned kennels – in a region well known for its hot conditions.
“She's got to be comfortable while we're there. So hopefully I can find somewhere I can stay where she's going to be comfortable,” he said.
“That's the main thing with her because she's a valuable commodity, and I don't want anything going wrong with her.
“It'll only be a fly-in, fly-out mission. And if she makes the final I'll fly up the day before.”
Shinners was also delighted to see Major Sacrifice win a $10,545 start over 715m at Cannington on Saturday night.
The three-year-old has overcome his fair share of adversity.
“Major Sacrifice came back from a dropped back muscle – we didn't think he was going to come back,” Shinners said.
“As far as back muscles go it wasn't the best one I've seen. But any back-muscle issue isn't great.
“He had six or eight runs up our straight at home and was pulling up terrific. His first heat behind the lure he re-did it.
“What happens is they don't actually re-tear the whole muscle, but because it scars up they tear the scarring.
“So he missed another six weeks and we ended up throwing him down the bottom where our young ones were.”
Shinners' instincts were spot on – that competitive rivalry worked well for his tough stayer.
“We put three or four of them out together with muzzles on. They were all into each other and it probably toughened him up a little bit,” he said.
“And he's come back good.
“At the moment, there probably aren't too many front-running stayers over here. And that's his go – if he can just go along out front he's always tough to beat.
“But it's just about finding enough races for him.”
Steve and Krystal Shinners get back to Perth from a well-earned break in Bali on Wednesday.
Along with the running they both do, this is something that keeps them in a positive frame of mind around their greyhounds.
“You've got to be very careful how much work you do because you can overburden yourself, and your race dogs suffer then,” Shinners said.
“It's more about quality than quantity. We don't have any more than 12, and plus the younger ones coming through into the kennels.
“Krystal's an ER nurse and she goes running a lot, so she likes to be able to get away. And you've got to reset – that was probably one mistake I made when I was younger.
“You work 24-7, so you've got to make time to get away. Otherwise you burn out.
“And when you get a 9-5 job you get the weekends off, so you can go and do your own thing.
“Whereas (as a greyhound trainer) you might have a bad week and dogs break down.
“They're the hard times, so you've got to make sure you enjoy the good times, and get away and refresh yourself.”