‘The best innovation in 30 years’

– Glen Atwell
DEVON Meadows greyhound trainer Chris Johannsen has been racing dogs for 30 years.
He’s had his fair share of ups and downs and has seen everything the industry has to offer, but Mr Johannsen rates Cranbourne’s Tricodes Day as the best innovation on the calendar.
The leading trainer at Cranbourne’s greyhound track has had 46 winners and 53 placings from 207 starts this season, and is looking to add to that tally come Sunday, 16 March.
On any given day, Mr Johannsen has 30 dogs in work, and manages to produce at least 150 winners every year.
“I don’t really keep a tally, but this season has been great for country winners,” he said.
So what’s his secret?
“I race good stock and accept that if a dog can’t run, it won’t win.”
Sounds simple, but putting Mr Johannsen’s theory into practice can be difficult. “Some owners have an emotional attachment to a dog, and it’s hard not to be loyal to a good performer, but you’ve got to be realistic about the chance of success,” he said.
On Monday night, Mr Johannsen added two more winners to his long list of achievers and now has his sights set on Tricodes success.
Red Amber (TAB $9.90) turned the tables on a string of bad form to beat the previously unbeaten Dan Flack and race favourite Seascape in race four.
In race eight, Shooting Star ($3.80) recorded his third win in five starts and held off odds-on favourite Bullicourt Cloud.
Mr Johannsen said Shooting Star, by champion Brett Lee, will now start in the Tricodes Day greyhound feature race, the 699-metre Victoria Cup.
Shooting Star is untried at the long distance, but Mr Johannsen believes the dog is capable of a strong staying performance.
“There is a bit of a question mark, but the breed has the distance in the blood,” he said.
“Shooting Star will be on the home track and really loves racing at Cranbourne, so we’ll see how we go.”
Mr Johannsen said he enjoyed the excitement factor associated with Tricodes Day and always looked forward to the annual event.
“It is a really great idea, and has so many benefits for the greyhound racing industry,” he said.
“I love being involved and I’ll be doing my best to produce a few winners on the day.”