Psychotic Gold in the Group 1 Super Stayers Series
This time last year the career of Psychotic Gold was at the crossroads.
With just one minor placing from her first seven starts across two states, she had connections thinking her race days were over and an early retirement was on the cards.
Then something happened, as her trainer, South Australia’s Petar Jovanovic tells…
“She started her career in New South Wales, where she had her first five starts. Then I got a call out of the blue from her owner (Ian Russell) who felt she’d be better suited to racing in South Australia and he asked me if I’d like to train her.”
“He told me the times she was trialling which were pretty good so I took her on. She fell in her first start for me and then in her next run she kept running into other dogs. The on course vet at Gawler (where she had her seventh start) said she thought she was having trouble with her eye sight because she kept running into other dogs.”
“By this stage the owner was ready to retire her, but I got some medication for her and began treating her. she didn’t have pannus but it was a condition that affected her sight. Six weeks later I rang the owner and told him her eyes were better and that she was ready to start racing again. He thought I had retired her, so it was a nice surprise for him.”
With her eyesight restored Psychotic Gold has set about establishing herself as one of the premier stayers in SA.
From being winless in seven starts she now has a record of 14 wins and 10 placings from 33 starts, only missing a place twice in 26 starts since her eyes were treated.
Psychotic Gold was rewarded for her excellent form with a place in the invitation-only Group 1 Zoom Top (725m) at The Meadows on Saturday night, in which she ran an impressive third behind Space Star after being slow at the start.
Jovanovic said she handled the rise in class well.
“I was very happy with her run (in the Zoom Top). Every time she races she always comes out basically last. But she’s adaptable and clever in a field,” he said.
Psychotic Gold returns to The Meadows this Saturday night to contest a heat of the Group 1 Superstayers (725m), where she get another chance to compete at the elite level.
“Right now she’s a bit like a really talented 17 year old footballer. You know they can play, but when you thrown them in against adults they take a few games to acclimatize.”
“The likes of Space Star and other greyhounds in the Zoom Top like Lady Toy and Blinker’s On are really good dogs who have been racing at that level for a while now. I believe Psychotic Gold has the potential to get to their level, but it may take her a bit of time,” Jovanovic said.
Psychotic Gold will contest Race 6 (Box 5) at The Meadows on Saturday night, in one of four heats of the Superstayers. The first two placegetters will make it through to the Group 1 Superstayers final on Australian Cup night on Saturday March 7.