Tim Richards with three chances in National Straight Track Championships heats
This Tuesday at Murray Bridge, two heats of the National Straight Track Championships will be run, with the top two in the final next week going on to represent the state at the series final, which will be held at the Richmond Straight Track this year. The series is becoming bigger and more popular each year it is run, attracting quality dogs from around the country to compete. Local trainer Tim Richards will have a strong hand to play with in the South Australian heats, with a team of three to tackle the series, which includes his kennel star He’s On Fire. After a recent Queensland stint which saw him take out a short course feature race, He’s On Fire has had two starts back in South Australia for two brilliant victories, with the latest a BOD win up the Murray Bridge Straight Track on Tuesday. The run was a pleasing one for Tim.
“It was okay, I thought the track was a little bit off and I expected a little bit better from him. He hasn’t been there (Murray Bridge Straight) for a fair while, maybe four or five months.” said a modest Tim Richards
“He got out well, it looked like he didn’t hit the line as well as I thought he would, but it was still a fairly reasonable time. He did run a personal best, so I am happy without being over the moon, but that’s me.”
He’s On Fire has evolved into a near unbeatable dog at his best and it was due to some good fortune which allowed Tim to get hold of him. Cameron and Yvonne Butcher had bred a litter and offered Tim the chance to buy one of the pups, but he was unable too at the time, so they kindly offered him the chance to rear one as payment.
“They offered them to me to buy (one of the pups) but at the time I didn’t have the money. So they rang me up and said if you rear one for us then you can have one free, and that was He’s On Fire.”
“I went out there with a squeaky toy and threw it in with a bunch of pups and he was the first one to grab it, so that it was it.”
“He’s a good type of dog, he’s got a real good nature about him.”
He’s On Fire has got box one in the first of the two heats, and it looks to be a match race between himself and Winner’s Win. If He’s On Fire brings the unbelievable box manners that we consistently see from him, then it will be incredibly hard for Winner’s Win to be able to run him down.
In the other heat which appears slightly easier than the first, Tim will be rugging up Crush Your Enemy (box three) and She’s Fired Up (box eight).
“Well that’s the weaker of the two heats, Crush Your Enemy isn't in an ideal box. He probably would of run a place on Tuesday but he couldn’t get across. If he can head them and get to where he wants to get, he could finish one, two or three.”
“She’s Fired Up is coming off a month break. Her best is good enough to have a crack at it in that heat. If they were in the other heat I would have said not a chance, but in this heat they might be half a chance.”
The first heat will be run at 1:44pm local time, and the second at 2:12pm.
