Blue Art threads the needle to find victory at Capalaba

By Pat McLeod

Rob Ayres toasted his ‘heart attack’ dog from a Melbourne pub, as Blue Art made it ‘second time lucky’ in the Capalaba Young Guns Final on Sunday.

Ayres trekked to Morwell, in Victoria, at the weekend to make a surprise visit to his good mate Gavin Kearns’ 60^th birthday party.

On Sunday, during the return trip to the Melbourne airport, the veteran trainer made a compulsory stop at the Sanctuary Lakes Hotel to watch the Capalaba feature.

“The beer after the race tasted very nice,” Ayres laughed.

Blue Art ($2.40) claimed the win with a customary flying finish to nail Hocking (trained by Paul Cauchi), with Kyoto (Casey Dargusch) third, in 19.86 seconds. 

“Obviously I was very happy with the run, but he (Blue Art) is a heart attack dog, the way he starts slowly and leaves it late to win," Ayres said. 

“He was slow out of the boxes, as usual and I could see him looking for cracks in the field to make his run.

“I thought it was going to be one of those ‘could have been, should have been’ scenarios, but he found a way.

“But, I am rapt. I have already ordered three (race) pics, for me and the other two owners.”

Ayres, who is based north of Brisbane, at the Glass House Mountains, was never going to miss his mate’s birthday party despite Blue Art’s strong finals chances.

“Gavin and I are good mates and have been involved in greyhounds together for a long time,” he explained.

“It was a surprise party for him, but I also didn’t let on to the organisers that I was coming. So, a double surprise.

“It was a great night and then to get this win, well a really good weekend.”

Sunday’s race was Blue Art’s second attempt at Young Guns glory at Capalaba. 

In September last year he ran second to Dyllan Heddles’ Bad Boy Wilson, who placed fourth in Sunday’s event.

Blue Art’s flying finish was a carbon copy of his heat win, with second-placed Hocking the victim on both occasions.

From his preferred wide alley (eight box), Paul Cauchi’s dog appeared to have the feature race in hand before Blue Art again stole the chocolates with the late charge.

Blue Art, the most successful of Ayres’ home-bred litter, has now reached $58,690 in prizemoney from 15 wins and 16 placings across 42 starts.

The experienced conditioner will now bring his speedster to The Q for some circle racing.

Blue Art has had just the one start so far at The Q, on the Q1, which is the one-turn track, for a second placing over the 457 metre distance.

While Ayres says his chaser has the ability to achieve ‘some success’ at The Q, he believes the upcoming 2025 Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival features are a step too far.

“Unfortunately, his slow start costs him too much against the really good dogs,” he said.

“He just can’t make up those few lengths he gives away at the start to the class dogs.”

However, Ayres has no doubt Blue Art will be back at Capalaba, where he boasts an outstanding record of nine wins and 14 placings from 26 starts.

“I am hoping he did enough with that win to earn a place in the Straight Of Origin,” he said.

“There are also some other nice races coming up there that he will probably contest.”

The $40,000-to-the-winner Straight Of Origin, with four Queensland dogs taking on four NSW dogs, will be contested on Sunday, June 1.