IF you reside within a few kilometres of the Ipswich Showground you would have heard the cheer that went up on Saturday night when battling trainer Adam McIntosh’s bitch, Elisheba, won the Vince Curry Memorial.
Amongst the big crowd for the richest maiden dog race in Australia was the large McIntosh clan who were crowded down on the home straight fence for the final.
Battling to finish third in the run Elisheba unleashed an amazing final 200 metre sprint to race away with the $75,000 first prize sending the Mcintosh’s into party mode.
Many in the crowd also added to the cheers with Elisheba starting the heavily backed favourite for the Curry Memorial.
The Ipswich Club welcomed their biggest crowd of the year and their decision to make it a family fun night paid handsomely.
The balloon twisters and face painters were almost as busy as the café staff who manned the popular smorgasbord buffet.
There was even a bookmaker on track for the first time in 20 years with Ben Krahe travelling up from the Gold Coast to field.
In the 1980’s there were as many as 20 or more bookmakers taking bets at the track.
A number of past Vince Curry winners have gone on to be stars and if trainer Mcintosh can keep Elisheba healthy she will no doubt have a promising career.
McIntosh lives in Moreton Bay and toils as a plasterer during the week to support his greyhound training passion.
He was lost for words at the trophy presentation as winning his biggest ever race was still starting to sink in.
Making it more gratifying was the fact that Elisheba has been plagued by feet troubles and it took months of special treatment from him to just get her to the boxes.
“I do not know what we have really got with her – she is untapped – but she keeps making me shake my head every week with how well she has gone,” Adam said.
“I just wouldn’t have thought she could run times like this about a month ago, I do not know where we are going to go with her – I am just enjoying it while it is happening.”
The night also served as the official presentation night for the greyhound of the year and trainer of the season.
There was common thread with both big awards with Pauline Byers and son Shane taking the trainer’s award as well as training the greyhound of the year Ringbark Road owned by Darryl McCoy.
The male trainer of the year for 2022 was Peter O’Reilly.
