No trainer has had more success at Bathurst over the past 25 years than the husband-and-wife team of Paul and Pamela Braddon, so it is no surprise they have three of the eight qualifiers in today's Bathurst RSL Final, which is the feature race at the Central West track this afternoon.
The Braddons, based at Cowra, will be represented by fastest heat winner, the veteran Marbo's Magic, and by up-and-coming siblings Double Up Dee and Chevey's Magic.
Marbo's Magic took his record to a remarkably consistent 23 wins from 38 starts when he led throughout in his heat and is all the rage for tomorrow's final.
“He may not be quite as good as he was a year ago when he was winning races like the Maitland and Temora Cups but he is still going pretty well,” Paul Braddon said.
“Chevey's Magic and Double Up Dee are very green, they are still learning what it's all about, but we could not be happier with them. They are only babies but have a lot of potential.”
And until three weeks ago, the Braddons also owned and trained Tina's Magic, who came from near last to win her heat for her new trainer Les Whitton.
“Brendan McHatton, a long-time client of mine, bought Tina's Magic from the Braddons and when he picked her up Paul quipped 'now don't go out and beat me in a race’,” Whitton said.
"But that's what happened when Tina's Magic ran down Paul's greyhound Chevey's Magic in last Monday's heat.”
The Braddons are unquestionably the most successful trainers on the NSW country circuit, but Paul continues to work full-time.
“When I left school I worked at the abattoirs at Blayney before moving across to the same business at Cowra and I have been there ever since,” he said.
Most amazing aspect of the Braddons' endless winning streak is that they only train greyhounds they have breed, raised and own themselves.
Typical is Marbo's Magic, a son of WILLOW Blaze, who won eight of 26 starts for them, and a grandson of Leumeah Girl, another greyhound the Cowra-based Braddons raced with success.
“When I was growing up my father Phil always had a couple of greyhounds and his brother-in-law bred a greyhound called Overflow Love, who won a few races from a handful of starts for the family,” Paul recalled.
“Early in her career I was assigned to take Overflow Love to Sydney for a trial at Wentworth Park and when she equalled the track record we were swamped with people wanting to buy her.”
The Braddon clan sold Overflow Love to Peter McCullen, a Sydney bookmaker, and Chummy Parkes, who was a bookie in Melbourne. She became a star for Victorian trainer Carl Haas, winning three group races, including the 1977 Group 1 Maturity Classic at The Meadows.
