Nicole Connell cheering for Crazy Brax

By Alex Nolan

The catchcry “start cheering, Nicole” has been a familiar sound at Queensland greyhound tracks over the past month, due largely to the tremendous form of the Nicole Connell-trained Crazy Brax.

The three-year-old son of Dyna Villa recorded his fourth win in six starts when he downed Barney Rubble by one-and-three-quarter lengths at Albion Park on Boxing Day over 395 metres.

He will now line up for just his second start at Ipswich and first over the dashing 288m when he contests a Mixed Fourth and Fifth Grade from Box eight on Wednesday night – the seventh event on the card.

A nine-time winner up the straight at Capalaba, Crazy Brax has now won three from nine at Albion Park and is out to record his first win at Ipswich.  

Connell said Crazy Brax was boxed well in the pink but she is wary of the Bianca Whitford-trained What’s Poppin’ in box two, who is aiming for three straight wins.

“He’s coming up against a really good dog in What’s Poppin, but all he has to do is get around them and I think he’ll have a good chance of running him down,” Connell said. 

“For a dog that almost never made it to the track, he’s done a wonderful job.

“I have started him on the walking machine for something different. I think the walking works different muscles and has helped him.

“He’s been a very good boy and what makes it better is I train and own him.”

Connell said Crazy Brax – who derived his name from his bubbly and excitable nature – was a labour of love in the early days.

He was consistently trialling in 20.40 seconds at Capalaba and Connell never held much hope for him, telling her family “he’s cute and good looking, but I think he’s slow.”

Connell would later discover an old injury he sustained as a pup.

She set to work on rectifying the issue, before boxing him for his debut run at Capalaba in November 2020.  

“I told everyone not to back him,” Connell said of Crazy Brax’s first start, when he bolted in by four lengths in 19.94 seconds.

His career record now stands at 12 wins from 46 starts and more than $19,000 in prizemoney.

Connell said she would desperately love to win a Group race in her own right one day.

While that may not come with a dog like Crazy Brax, she is in the game for the long haul.

“In all honestly, I love all my greyhounds the same and tell them they’re all champions,” Connell said.

“Even greyhounds I don’t train or own, I kiss them all on the head and tell them ‘safe journey’ before placing them in the boxes.”

Connell is a familiar face at almost every race meeting across South East Queensland and is well remembered for assisting the Elson kennel on race nights with the great Cyndie’s Magic, who she has tattooed on her arm.

“Braxy is going to be my next tattoo,” Connell said.

Race caller John ‘Bunny’ Brasch can be heard stating “start cheering, Nicole” each time a Connell greyhound crosses the line first.

“I think it started when he saw me cheering at the boxes one night…then I was skipping and jumping up the track and it was all caught on camera. I’ve never lived it down,” Connell laughed.