Shinners in good spirits ahead of WA All Stars Sprint Final
Amplified might be nearing the end of her impressive track career, but trainer Steve Shinners has high hopes Electrified will soon assume the role of his next kennel star.
And this was why he was in good spirits when talking about the Greyhounds WA All Stars Sprint Final at Cannington.
Both chasers will line up in the Group 2 feature worth $57,000 over 520m on Saturday night.
And they are in excellent form.
Amplified finished a courageous second to Throttle in her heat last Saturday night.
She crashed across early from box eight, finding the rail and then the front, passing Fire Cloud at the home turn.
But that effort drained her of energy, and Dave and Christine Robartson's two-year-old mowed her down on the straight.
It should be another fierce battle between those two on Saturday, Throttle to start from box five and Amplified from seven.
“Swap the box draws and she (Amplified) is probably a $1.50 favourite,” Shinners told Australian Racing Greyhound.
“Last Saturday night she just crashed hard left and she probably lost three to five lengths in her run getting across.
“Coming around the home corner, Fire Cloud just checked her. It wasn't bad, but Throttle came from two and a half lengths behind her to be a length behind her.
“And she lost a bit of momentum. Box seven doesn't fill me with confidence.
“But sometimes the second time she goes there (Cannington) she doesn't crash as hard left.
“And if she doesn't crash as hard, there's probably not a lot of speed in the race.”
Amplified – with 23 wins from 39 starts and $138,830 in prizemoney – has enjoyed a fine career on the track.
But Shinners is also excited at what will soon lie ahead for her as a brood bitch.
“If she wasn't going so great we probably would've pulled the pin already,” he said.
“We've got a bit of a plan for her and she probably won't have any more than 50 starts.
“She might race until midway through next year.
“She's racing terrific, probably in career-best form and she's loving her racing. And she's a great little chaser.
“And to have her as a brood bitch will be extraordinary. We've bought a Barcia Bale straw for her already.
“We've got an Aston Dee Bee straw as well. I really like Aston Dee Bee. We've actually used him with Electrified's mum (Miss America).
“She just had a litter of eight pups to Aston Dee Bee, and they're cracking little pups.”
Before Amplified retires to stud, Shinners would love to give her a shot at Melbourne Cup glory in the $1 million feature race at Sandown on November 26.
“She's a great little bitch. She's probably the best bitch over here (in WA). We (wife and co-trainer Krystal Shinners) are half-thinking about going over for a crack at the Melbourne Cup,” he said.
“And if I go over I'll probably take Electrified and Solidified to have a look at the Silver Chief.
“The Darwin Cup trip didn't happen with flights, but it worked out well. She got a track record under her belt at Mandurah in the meantime.
“She would've been pretty hard to beat up there.”
Shinners might have played down his tough little bitch Amplified's chances on Saturday night, but has belief in Electrified becoming one of the best chasers in WA is rapidly growing.
He was brilliant in his All Stars Sprint heat, catching the $1.30 favourite Vice Grip before the home turn and holding him out to salute in 29.94 seconds.
Electrified has won a stunning 10 from his 11 races at Cannington, and 13 from 15 overall, with all his starts in WA.
“The young pup, we actually don't know how quick he is,” Shinners said when asked about his two-year-old talent.
“I think he's one of those genuine dogs who lifts to the class that he's in. He's untapped.
“His record at Cannington in sensational. He's won 13 out of 15 over here.”
Shinners said Electrified developed a love for the rough and tumble of being a racing greyhound from very early on.
“When they were reared they were reared pretty strong. They'd bash into each other and jump up hills,” he said.
“They're tough as boots, so I think that's held them in good stead.
“He's the type of dog in the parade area where he just looks around and he almost knows what level he needs to rise to against the better dogs.
“A top bitch I had years ago, Oh Behave, she was the same.
“She'd eyeball the dogs and was a real competitor. You get that very rarely in dogs.
“He seems to be one of them.”
For all his toughness, Shinners continues to be impressed with the natural talent Electrified possesses.
“The last time off the red box (a win on August 20) I think he ran a 5.44, which isn't bad. His turn of foot is exceptional and he's a pretty big dog,” he said.
“Coming into the first corner, he's like no dog I've had. And if he gets a clear run to that first corner, his acceleration is great.
“He couldn't use it last week, but he just took off down the back. And the Group dogs do that – they've got that turn of foot down the back.
“If he can improve a little bit, hopefully he'll be competitive in the big races.
“They're just lovely-natured dogs, too, which is a big thing. He's a good kennel dog and a good traveller, so I don't worry about him too much.”
Meanwhile Shinners – delighted to see his daughter Mackinley notch up her first win as a handler with Solidified at Cannington on Sunday night – said another kennel standout was not far off making a return.
“Destruction's nearly back, the Mandurah Cup winner. It's been six months since he fractured his pelvis,” he said.
“I didn't think he'd come back at all, but he's been trialing really well. Fingers crossed he can stay in one piece.
“He's going all right.”