Paul and Pam Braddon, whose greyhound All A Blaze was fastest qualifier for last Saturday night's Group 3 Evans & Son Jewellers Ladies Bracelet final at Wentworth Park, are greyhound racing's training equivalent to Robert Thompson's standing as a jockey in thoroughbred racing.
Thompson is far and away the most successful rider on the bush circuit, and the Cowra-based Braddons are the most successful trainers on NSW country greyhound tracks.
They have been enjoying their best ever year, and seldom does a meeting go by at Bathurst, Dubbo or Cowra where they return home with less than two or sometimes three winners.
Marbo's Magic, who was recently transferred to Anthony Azzopardi's kennels in Victoria, had 11 wins and a second in 12 races this year for the Braddons, with his victories including the Maitland and Temora Cups.
That dog's litter sister All A Blaze went into Saturday's Bracelet with seven wins and four placings from 14 outings but lost all chance in the group 3 final when she bungled the start completely.
"Marbo's Magic is entitled to be rated the best we have trained,'' Paul Braddon said.
"But WILLOW Blaze, the dam of Marbo's Magic and All A Blaze, was also very smart.
"We bred her from our bitch Leumeah Girl and WILLOW Blaze, a November, 2010 whelping, won eight of just 26 races.
"She could run like the wind but wasn't a keen chaser like Marbo's Magic and All A Blaze.''
Paul Braddon married Pam Brearley 14 years ago, and while Pam already had some involvement with greyhounds, Paul was firmly established in the top rung of the sport.
"I'm 56 now and the first good greyhound I was associated with was Overflow Love, 40 years ago.
"When I was growing up my father Phil always had a couple of greyhounds and his brother-in-law bred Overflow Love, who won a few races from a handful of starts for us.
"Then we took her to Wentworth Park for a trial and when she equalled the track record the family was besieged with offers to buy her so we sold.''
Peter McCullen, who imported the champion sire Waverly Supreme from Ireland and was a leading greyhound bookmaker in the 1970s, bought Overflow Love in partnership with Melbourne bookie Chummy Parkes.
"We sent her to be trained by Carl Haas in Victoria and Overflow Love won group races for us at Melbourne's OLYMPIC PARK, at Brisbane's Gabba course and at Wentworth Park,'' McCullen recalled.
Paul Braddon took out a trainer's licence while in his early 20s and after winning a Soldier's Saddle final with WILLOW Blaze retired her to stud.
"The greyhounds have always been a sideline for me because when I left school I worked in the abattoirs at Blayney and then moved across to the same business at Cowra where I have been employed for 36 years,'' Braddon said.
"Pam and I are on 20 acres and we breed and rear there with Dennis Barnes educating our young greyhounds.
"We breed three litters a year and have 50 dogs on the property which is about as many as we can handle on our own.''
The Braddons rarely come to Sydney to race but they won the Group 3 Magic Maiden final at the 2006 Golden Easter Egg carnival with Modern Supreme.
"Modern Supreme's brother Modern Secret was also a good money-spinner for us, winning 23 of 46 races in 2006 and 2007, while other good ones we have had were Victory Point, Endless Energy, Crash Conners and Hurricane Rino,'' Paul Braddon said.
"Victory Point, who finished up wining over 40 races, was a top notch Harold Park dog in 1985 while Endless Energy, who was by Waverly Supreme, had a wonderful strike rate, winning 47 of 70 starts.
"Endless Energy would have gone on to win 50 races but it reached the stage where he could not gain a draw.
"Crash Conners won 34 races and Hurricane Rino has won 27 times.
"Our favourite tracks are Cowra and Dubbo and while the travelling is to Wentworth Park is a grind the main reason we have not been more regular visitors to Sydney is that we believed we didn't have the right class of dogs for the metropolitan area.''
Paul Braddon has made a full recovery after undergoing surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital to remove a brain tumour and the future is looking bright for country greyhound racing's shining stars.
