Young trainer Dale Chapman will be aiming for his first city win on Thursday night after he picked up his first ever win at Sandown Park on Sunday with youngster Shady Buck.
Shady Buck jumped from box 1 in a heat of a restricted win series where a ticket to the Launching Pad is up for grabs. He ran down leader Little Big Shot in the closing stages to win by ½ a length in 29.63.
“It was such a great feeling winning on Sunday. I’ve been coming to the track a lot over the last 3-4 years, so to win a race with my own dog is extra special,” said Chapman proudly.
Chapman has a strong interest in poker which acts as his primary job. His role was the lead in him getting involved in greyhound racing through a colleague.
“I have been a Poker Tournament Director/Regional Manager for 11 years now. A friend I met through Poker was a greyhound trainer at the time, she helped me find the right dog to buy back in 2007.”
At that stage Chapman was a novice of the sport, but since then he has gained experience and knowledge from some of the sport’s most well known families.
“I had a bit of hands-on work back then but in the last four years I’ve become more involved. Norm and Janis Rinaldi taught me a lot, which I’m extremely grateful for.
“Recently Jess and Jason Sharp have given me a great opportunity to join their team, they’ve given me a lot of guidance with Buck. We have a great team together.”
Chapman is often the face of team Sharp at Victorian tracks and had the honour of handling kennel star Kouta Mayhem in last year’s TAB Melbourne Cup.
He says this Thursday night’s final will be a test for ‘Buck’ but remains optimistic of his chances.
“He will go into the final as one of the outsiders, it’s such a classy field of youngsters. A lot of the pace is drawn off the track so hopefully he can begin like he did on Sunday and hold the rail early.”
The winner of the race will receive a ticket to the upcoming Launching Pad series which boasts $410,000 in prize money.
“It’d be such a great series to be a part of so hopefully he can win his way through on Thursday night. Whatever happens I just want him to come home safe and sound.”
Shady Buck will jump from box 3 in the restricted win final and is rated a $16 chance by The Watchdog.
Click here for Thursday’s fields
Purchase and transfer of Launching Pad entry forms close next Friday March 9. There’s a total of 64 entry forms and $410,000 in prize money up for grabs, with the winner of the group 2 final to pocket $150,000 making the series one of the most lucrative in the country. Click here for more information
