Nathan Goodwin has already enjoyed a long and varied career in greyhound racing but the best could be yet to come.
Goodwin was calling races at Kempsey greyhounds as a 10-year-old, training them in Townsville at 18, was working as a bookmaker at that city’s thoroughbred and greyhound meetings a year later and became a licensed mechanical lure driver in Queensland.
Now, after such a varied life in the sport, the 37-year-old has settled down and is training a team of 20 greyhounds on the family property at Kempsey.
“We are on 120 acres and the facilities are so good we are rearing 70 young greyhounds while we also have the use of our own 400m straight track to get the race dogs fit,’’ Goodwin said.
“My grandfather Frank Brady, who died in 2000, was a highly successful owner and trainer on the NSW North coast.
“His best greyhounds were Brandy Brother, Trent Michael, Coolawin Fox, Kath Coy and Cassie Crusta.
“Tony Squires, a Sydney greyhound racing journalist who trained as a hobby, won races in town with Kath Coy for Frank while Sydney’s Ron Roberts trained Cassie Crusta on his behalf, and I believe she won a Richmond Oaks.
“My uncle Greg Brady also trained at Kempsey and Hec and Leah Watt, of Zoom Top fame, were family friends who would often call in to the farm.
“Hec and Leah were living at Tintenbar at the time and would pop in when they were on their way to Sydney to race.
“It was Hec and Leah who taught Frank and Greg the art of checking greyhounds for injuries and that skill has been passed on to me.
“Best greyhound I have trained was Mr Footprints, who won the 2003 Townsville Cup while I also won the 2004 Mackay Cup with Alrow when I was living in North Queensland.
Goodwin moved back to Kempsey on the NSW mid-North coast in July 2013 and scored his first Wentworth Park winner in May last year with Sandave Sprinter over the 280m.
“She has won eight of 38 starts, including three at Wenty, while other handy greyhounds in my kennel are former Tasmanian Bodega Vista, who has won six from 26 and Michael Benz, winner of five from 16 starts.
“Michael Benz’s wins have been at Albion Park, The Gardens and Maitland while I have just taken delivery of Gunnadoo Blaster, who won a Dubbo Maiden for Benny Howe on March 12.’’
Goodwin’s race-calling career began by accident when his uncle Greg Brady, the regular broadcaster at Kempsey, went away for a weekend 27 years ago.
Ten year old Nathan filled in and did such a good job he became the track’s permanent caller.
“I was the course broadcaster at Kempsey until 1996 and also called races at Wauchope and Taree," he said. "When Steve Hawkins, now heard on Sky Racing, quit Grafton in 1993 I did the calling there until 1995.
“I was fortunate enough to be a bookie in the days when there was still big punting money on course and regularly held $10,000 on the greyhounds and $30,000 on the horses at Townsville. ’’
Maitland is Goodwin’s favourite track (“the best in Australia’’ in my opinion, he says) while his favourite greyhounds have been Warren’s Flyer and Jessica Casey.
Warren’s Flyer was a prolific Wentworth Park winner for Peter Dopson while Jessica Casey, trained by John Finn, was 1991 NSW Greyhound of the Year and took out the 1992 Golden Easter Egg.
Like most greyhound trainers Goodwin finds long hours of driving part and parcel of the sport but his trek on Monday, April 20, would take some topping.
“I had qualified for the Nowra Summer Puppy Classic semi-finals with two greyhounds so left home at 6am and arrived at the track at 1pm,’’ Goodwin explained. “A couple of hours later the meeting was washed out.
"As there would be no trialling at The Gardens the following day or at any of my nearby tracks, I drove to Wentworth Park so I could trial my two dogs after the last race there.
“The final event was at 10.18 so all being well I expected to get to Kempsey at around 3.30 Tuesday morning.
“But there was a tree across the road at Bulahdelah which added another two-and-a-half hours to the drive from Sydney.’’
Dedication like that is certain to bring success.
