Long Time Between Drinks For Wood

LOCO Queen caused a popular boilover at Launceston on Monday night when leading through-out to land her debut win at Launceston in the Chase Magazine Grade 5 over 515 metres for Mornington trainer Denis Wood.

 Despite finishing down the track to Magic Vogue at Hobart last time out, Loco Queen jumped well from box five as the ranked outsider at $18.50 with the daughter of Kinloch Brae and Regal Patch running out a 30.24 winner, scoring by 1 ¾ quarter lengths from Katy Bell.

Victory was Denis's first win since Weona Vee saluted at Devonport in June of last year.

"It was a fantastic win and very satisfying result for everyone involved," Denis Wood said.

"Loco Queen came to me from Melbourne with the owners looking to give her a chance of building up confidence after a few bad runs. She has trialled well since I started on her but the main thing for her is luck in the first few metres of the race.

"Her two runs at Devonport showed promise and there has been a few set backs where she had split her webbing and had scratches down her back legs from being galloped on."

Denis credits the friendship of Victorian trainer Gerry O'Keeffe behind most of the dogs that have entered his Mornington-based kennels with reasonable success.

"At the time he (O'Keeffe) was coming over for the Hobart Thousand years ago with a dog called Honorable Man and couldn't find a kennel to stay at while in Tassie," he recalled.

Honorable Man (Luska Dubh – Penbrijo Lass) contested the 1979 Hobart Thousand and finished down the track in the 500-metre classic to Astradome Lad for trainer Ray Elphinstone.

"My brother Jimmy and I helped him out and we immediately struck up a friendship and he has always looked out for a dog to send over for me to train and that's where it started. Aaron Campbell originally trained Loco Queen and is a good mate of Gerard's and he is also in the Cashino Syndicate of the bitch and I believe they will probably look to breed with her."

Denis is no stranger to greyhound racing, coming from a strong background where his dad, the respected Ted Wood, had put the polish to some top dogs in his training career.

Herald Syn (Sunview – Miss Ouse) was regarded as Ted's greatest dog that he trained and when retired to stud he was highly influential on the breeding scene for several decades.

Above siring several top-class chasers through his  career, Herald Syn provided a Hobart Thousand winner at the TCA in 1972 namely Beau Palomino for trainer Bob Usher.

Beau Palomino went on to become the dam to a handful of classy sprinters of yesteryear in Arkaroola, a former NSW top class chaser, and Tuemino who is regarded the most freakish galloper to have ever raced in Tasmania.

"I've always helped my dad from a young age, so greyhounds have been in my blood you could say, I have been in and out of them training wise but when I retired from work I was looking to buy a pup and Weona Vee got me back into racing last year," Dennis added.

Weona Vee re-introduced Denis to the winner's circle at Devonport in June last year when breaking her maiden class status and is currently trained and owned in Darwin.

"When my brother Jimmy and I came back to the races a couple of years back, we were surprised of the people that were still in the game here in Tassie, you make good life long friends and that's what racing is really about," said Dennis.