Lords Rare Insight Into MDC Preparation

WITH three hopes chasing a million dollar pay day on Saturday night at Wentworth Park, the Jodie and Andy Lord empire has made sure everything is going to plan for the final of the Million Dollar Chase.

The Lords will line up with MDC hot favourite She's A Pearl, but also have Coast Model and Doonan in the final.

Andy laid out the program between winning the semi-finals last Friday night and going into the rich final this Saturday.

She's A Pearl loves racing… and it shows!#thedogs #MDC #MillionDollarChase #greyhoundracing pic.twitter.com/Tf0REsDmT6

— The Dogs (@Thedogs_com_au) April 29, 2022

“Nothing changes,” said Andy. “Although that is not exactly right. The fact there is an eight-day break between the semis and the final means we have to take that into account.”

All three dogs were put into the Lord competition runs on Sunday.

“We've got 80-metre competition runs but we've also got a drag hare that runs in the middle of them,” said Andy. “Those three dogs went into the competition runs on Sunday and did about 400 to 500 metres.

“Their next gallop will be over 400 metres up our straight track behind the drag lure on Wednesday and that will do them going into the final.”

Lord says all three finalists are similar types.

“They are like every good dog,” he said. “They are virtually the same, good kennel dogs, do their work, nothing bothers them, they want to run.

“Like all good dogs, they have good constitutions. It is something I have noticed over many, many years in this business. The good dogs have a gleam about their coats and they always have it. Even during the coldest of winters, those dogs have a shine about their coats.”

Jodie Lord has now qualified 3 runners in the #MDC Final with Doonan saluting in Semi-Final 9! ? pic.twitter.com/ol9ogbNIpW

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 29, 2022

Of She's A Pearl, he says the bitch is a natural.

“Everything you do with her, like working on her feet, her teeth, anything that many dogs don't like having done to them, it is never a worry for good dogs like her,” he said.

“They just let you do those jobs.”

Daily routine at the Lord's kennel starts at 6am.

“We let them out into 10 metre by 10 metre yards of which we have 16. They are all colour bond fences so none of them can see each other,” he said. “They stay there for 20 minutes. They all get fed a big breakfast at 7am then go back out into the yards for another 20 minutes.

“They are let out again at 11am and at 2pm they are fed. We feed nothing but human grade meat. They get nothing we would not eat ourselves.

“After their 2pm meal, they go out again for 30 minutes and again for that length of time at 7pm.”

Kennel beds are a waterproof fabric that fit nicely into the bed frame. On top of that is a 100ml thick doona which is replaced every month.

“We've got $10,000 worth of dog beds on the property.”

Andy says he is “not big” on checking dogs over all the time.

“I believe you have got to have a good eye to be able to pick up if dogs have a problem,” he said. “If there is something wrong with a dog, you can usually see that instantly they come out of the kennel. I would rather leave the dogs alone.”

The Jodie Lord trained Coast Model showed great early speed to lead the entire in the second Semi-Final of the #MDC! ? pic.twitter.com/5V4DswImAG

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 29, 2022

While the preparation of the three MDC finalists is a routine that suits the Lord kennel, Andy is adamant it does not matter how a dog is trained, as long as they are supremely fit and the same routine is adhered to.

“These dogs are worth a lot of money, the pups we buy are worth a lot of money,” he said. “We make sure their health is paramount.”

Of the final, he says She's A Pearl is the obvious one to beat if she leads.

“But, if Coast Model leads, nothing will run her down,” he said.

“She has come good right at the right time.”

He rates Frank Hurst's Good Odds Cash hard to beat.

“We had her here as a pup because of the bush fires,” he said. “Frank rang and asked me to pick out a pup for him. It is Good Odds Cash.”

Andy and Jodie Lord have been building their empire for decades.

“We've been at a few places in the past, tried New Zealand for a year, and everything has been to build up the property where we now are,” he said.

“I'd like to win a Million Dollar Chase, not just for the cash, but because those sort of races are what we embarked on this project for.”