Coonamble Kid a success story for trainer on and off the track

By Pat McLeod

Chris Brydon’s kennel favourite, Coonamble Kid, has paid his dues no matter how he performs in Sunday’s Capalaba Young Guns Final. 

The My Redeemer-My Kinloch chaser has the fastest time (19.38 seconds) up the Capalaba straight of all finalists, is a heat winner and one of the fancied runners in a strong field.

With almost $60,000 in prize money, from 20 wins and 14 placings in 48 starts, he is Brydon’s most successful dog ever, but it is the off-track rewards that make this dog so special.

“He is a major reason why things have worked out so well for my family since coming up here,” Brydon said.

“He is special.”

Brydon, born and raised in the greyhound-rich, western NSW town of Coonamble, took a gamble with wife Natasha, when they moved to a 40-acre rearing and pre-training property at Churchable (west of Ipswich) just before Christmas, 2021.

Their plans to have a complete greyhound operation – breeding, rearing and training – have come to fruition and significant in that journey to date has been Coonamble Kid.

“He came up with us from NSW as a pup,” Brydon explains.

“We finished his rearing, broke him in and he was one of the first dogs we raced here. For him to go on and have a very good race career so far has been the icing on the cake. His success has certainly played a big role in our success.

“It would be great for him to win on Sunday. He just loves that track at Capalaba. He has had a lot of success there as well.

“I like where he is drawn, out wide (box seven). There is a lot of speed on the inside.

“This is a very good field, a lot of very good dogs, so to win it he will have to be at his best.”

Coonamble Kid enjoyed returning to his favourite track last Sunday after Brydon had taken the dog south to Maitland and Wentworth Park and then north for the Rockhampton Cup.

“The 520 metres up here does not really suit him because he is not the strongest over that distance, and that is why we targeted the Maitland Gold Cup over 450 metres,” he said.

The results vindicated that decision with a second in the heat and a third in the Final.

The pair then went on to Wentworth Park, and although over the 520 metres, Brydon believed the New Sensation was a race suitable for Coonamble Kid. And, that almost worked out, beaten in the heat by a nose.

The Rockhampton trip was less successful, with the dog finding lots of trouble in running and finished sixth in his heat.

Looking ahead, Brydon does have at least one more away trip planned for Coonamble Kid – the exciting NSW Thunderbolt series over 350 metres. 

He will aim to be part of the heats at Grafton on June 9, with the Final set down for that same track on Saturday, June 24, with $75,000 to the winner.

Included in Sunday’s Capalaba Final are two runners from the Jedda Cutlack kennel – I’m Peakin’ (box six) and Valhalla (box eight).

Another stand out is Stephen Rolph’s Cobblepot, who has won through to the Final of the Group 3 Brisbane Young Guns next Thursday night at Albion Park.