Jemma Daley hopes Queensland grading issues can be fixed
Jemma Daley is confident the grading issues she experienced with Hara's Pandora leading up to her Queensland Futurity triumph will be patched up by the state's governing body in the weeks to come.
Her two-year-old bitch was a resounding victor in the feature worth $72,000 at Albion Park, saluting by 4.25 lengths in the 520m sprint, and crossing the line in 30.09 seconds.
And she did it without an ideal preparation.
Daley detailed her frustration to this publication regarding why her star bitch could not get a run at Ipswich the week before the Futurity heats, saying her runner was “underdone” as a result.
But after talking to Racing Queensland (RQ) officials before the final on Thursday night, the 33-year-old conditioner now has faith the issue can be resolved quickly.
“She (Hara's Pandora) went into her heat very underdone because of a few grading issues,” Daley told Australian Racing Greyhound.
“Hopefully those little niggles and issues can be ironed out.
“I had a chat with them and said ‘I'm not knocking any of you – I wouldn't want your job. But please explain to me how this is happening'.
“And apparently it's getting changed.
“I think it was already going to change. I don't think it was going to change off my bat.”
One thing Daley cannot change is the undivided attention she needs to give to all her greyhounds, in order to get the best out of them.
This was why the Group 2 win meant so much to her.
“Any of them are special, but yes it's because I'm here making dinners and doing the hard yards myself,” she said.
“I don't have people working for me – it's just myself and my partner.
“We genuinely do the hard yards.”
2023 Group 2 Queensland Futurity Final – Hara's Pandora (30.09sec) T: Jemma Daley
Success at Group level comes with a difficult sacrifice – losing sleep.
“I've had three and a half hours sleep and had to get up this morning to do the dogs,” Daley said on Friday.
“It's just how it is. There's no way around it – if you want to do it properly and unless you're a big kennel from down south, you've got to do it this way.
“Like it or leave it. You need to accept that dogs need consistency and routine.
“You've got to be able to give them that.”
Daley lamented the lack of fortune Hara's Pandora had received with box draws heading into the Futurity heats, and it was valid.
The talented bitch had only drawn the one or two lane on two occasions from 22 starts leading up to the Futurity final.
But with the benefit of the two box on Thursday night, the $2.90 winning chance was always going to be difficult to beat.
“It all panned out for her. The one (runner-up Balmy Nights for John McCarthy) wanted to get off the rail and she just managed to slot in, and she got a dream run around,” Daley said.
“In saying that, she didn't just do it all at once. She kind of ran away from them, too.”
Daley – a former jockey and trackwork rider for John Hawkes, Pat Duff and Tony Gollan – was impressed with the work on the track from Hara's Pandora leading up to the Queensland Futurity Final.
“Her trials leading up to that were good. She had a bit of a break and we changed things up with her because she did go off the boil a bit,” the young Queensland trainer said.
“So her trials leading up to that were good for her. She's never been a superstar trial runner.
“It just took her a few runs to really hit her straps.”
Daley said owner Tony Glover's decision to hang onto Hara's Pandora – after he received a good offer for her early in her career – was a sound call.
“Early on in her career, Tony knocked back an offer of $15,000 for her. So she's paid him back in wheelbarrows,” Daley said.
“You won't sneeze at $15,000, but when you see the ability she's got, you've to hang on to them.
“My partner Tarquin said she's the only bitch to ever win the Ipswich and Queensland Futurity.
“So she holds great value to Tony now. We need to look after her now while getting the best racing career out of her.”
Daley said she could venture down to Sydney with Hara's Pandora in the coming months.
“I think travelling is not off the cards. We've seen how much it improved Hara's Skye and Hara's Herbie, so we might look at doing a trip down to Wentworth Park,” she said.
“But at the moment, no immediate plans. We'll sit down and go through the calendar, and plot out a path not just for her but for a few.”
Daley said her third placegetter from the Futurity – Hara's Opal – pulled up with a slight injury.
“Opal pulled up with a hock strain, so she won't be doing anything for a while,” she said.
“She'll go in for precautionary X-rays. We're not overly concerned, but her health and safety is our priority, so we'll make sure she's 110 per cent before we start her again.”