Glenn Maxwell celebrated his first city winner when Pirates Patch, the only greyhound he trains, scored at The Meadows last month and he’s hoping lightning strikes twice in Saturday night’s KCR Pet Transport Grade 5 Final (525m).
Pirates Patch will tackle an outstanding line-up, headlined by Music Event, winner of his last five in a row, but she’s in career best form herself, having won four of her last six, with two of those victories coming at The Meadows.
“She’s flying now,” said Maxwell.
“She had a period where her form didn’t look that good but she just wasn’t having much luck in running.
“I started planning for this race about a month ago, after Pirates Patch ran second in the Hugh Emerson Memorial Final at Geelong. After that I gave her a hit-out at Cranbourne over 311m, which she won, to get her ready for last week’s heats.”
Maxwell’s preparation proved spot on as Pirates Patch came out running in her heat, a 5.00s first split setting the stage for her upset 30.06s all-the-way victory over odds-on favourite Immersion.
Despite that performance Pirates Patch is a $21 roughie in TAB’s market on race four, to jump at 7.37pm, where she’ll have to topple another warm favourite in Mick Carter’s Music Event at $2.70.
“It’s a red-hot field. There’s a lot of picket fences there,” Maxwell said.
“But she flew early in the heat and if she can get to the front again she’ll take some mowing down.
“She’s improving all the time. She ran 30.22s at her first win at The Meadows and then 30.06s last week and if she can break the 30 she’s in with a chance.
“She might be an outsider but she might be the leader too and anything can happen when you’re in front.
“She won’t be that strong over the last 50 or 60 metres, 500m is about as far as she goes.”
Maxwell trains in tandem with Altona Meadows neighbour Malcom Davis and only took out his license two years ago, with Pirates Patch, a bargain buy as a pup, his first city starter and winner.
“We bought her when she was three months old and from the word go she showed promise,” Maxwell said.
“She was actually the last one for sale in her litter. We bought her for half the price of her sister, who unfortunately couldn’t run out of sight on a dark night!
“After we bought the sister the breeder said we could have the other one for half-price. So she was definitely lucky last!
“I normally work as a greenkeeper and lawn bowls coach and I only ever train one dog at a time but I could have 20 at the moment with all the time on my hands because of COVID!”
