No bumpy road for Goodwin in Townsville return

By Jordan Gerrans

Kempsey greyhound man Nathan Goodwin is as good a person as any to speak about the meteoric rise in prominence and status of the Townsville Cup over the years. 

Goodwin won the feature North Queensland race back in 2003 with a greyhound named Mr Footprints.

“He was a great dog and the Cup was $6,000 to the winner back then,” the trainer recalls.

“We thought that was fantastic.”

He is back in the northern city this week with a team of three chasers aimed towards Friday’s Cup heats with the hope of landing as many as possible in the big Final seven days later.

They will race for $112,525 – with $75,000 going the way of the winner – in the Group 2 Cup of 2024.

“The money is extraordinary; it is great money,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin calls Kempsey home but he had a near two-decade long stint living and training in Townsville earlier in his life.

As well as the Townsville Cup in 2003 with Mr Footprints, he won a Mackay Cup in 2004 with Alrow.

He made the more-than 20 hour drive from the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales to North Queensland with a team of five for the Cup heats.

Only three of those will start in the Cup qualifiers on Friday evening: She's A Bumpy, Flying Goddess and It's A Freeze.

She's A Bumpy has won 50 per cent of her 24 career starts and is a last-start victor at The Gardens in 30.03 seconds over 515 metres.

She has gone 29.66 seconds at Wentworth Park over 520 metres earlier in her career as well.

The Goodwin kennel has been up in lights in recent years after Angry Blizzard clinched a $100,000 pay day in the Masters Meteor on Million Dollar Chase night back in 2022.

But, Goodwin believes She's A Bumpy has the traits to become the best greyhound he has ever prepared.

“She is probably the best dog I have put a lead and collar on as in speed,” he proclaimed.

“She has that brilliant early speed, which is important when you are coming to Townsville with a 498 metre start to win.

“She may not be the smartest dog but she has got good early speed, does everything right and chases well.

“She is one of the better dogs I have had, I have had a few decent city dogs but she is right up there.

“She is on the precipice of being competitive in a Group race, I think. She is the main hope I have brought up.”

Goodwin last raced dogs in NQ when he travelled north for the Cup carnival eight years ago.

He qualified Cobber In Motion for the Final in 2016 - which was raced at Group 3 level back then - but the dog did not figure in the finish as master trainer Tony Brett won another Cup with Zabdon Ferrari.

“Hopefully we have brought up the right dogs this year, they are quick early, but it will all depend on their draws,” the visiting dog man said.

“I think they would want to be on the fence for them to be any sort of real good chance.”

Of his other Cup heat runners, Goodwin notes Flying Goddess does everything right and is quick early while It's A Freeze scored at The Gardens on the same program She's A Bumpy did last week.

All of Goodwin’s team trialled on Monday evening at the Townsville Showgrounds facility to familiarize themselves with the track and the trainer said they seemed to handle it well.

“She has blistering early pace,” he said of It's A Freeze.

“When she is on song she comes out on the front foot and she is gone.

“She did not trial all that good here on Monday night but she is not a real good trial dog, she always seems to do better in races.

“She is more of a race day competitor.”

Also from the Goodwin kennel, Rothwell Chunk trialed on Monday night while Bumpy's Lad will likely go into a graded race next Tuesday instead of the Cup heats on Friday.

Goodwin was born into a greyhound racing family at Kempsey but the North Queensland city is like a second home to him.

He arrived in October of 1996 for a two-week 'holiday' and lived in Townsville for almost two decades.

As well as preparing his team of dogs, he worked locally in the radio industry as well as calling the races around the region.

“It was a pretty good holiday,” he said with a laugh.

Goodwin is utilizing Bradley Belford’s kennel facilities alongside top SEQ conditioners Tom Tzouvelis and Travis Elson during their northern stay for the Cup campaign.