Quite often it’s like asking a parent to name their favourite child, but when asked where his Temora Cup winner Nangar Jim sits among the greyhounds who have been in his kennel, there is not a second of hesitation from Joe McFadyen.
An all the way victory in Sunday’s $40,000 Group 3 Ladbrokes Temora Cup continued an incredible run for McFadyen since he took over training of the dog back in July last year. Since then Nangar Jim had raced 22 times for 13 wins and six second placings, won the Temora Cup, the Maitland Gold Cup, and finished second in the Bulli Cup and Goulburn Cup.
“And I think all the unplaced runs were in group heats or finals. He's just amazing. His racing traits are impeccable. I just can't say enough good things about him,” McFadyen said.
“He's easily the best dog I’ve had. The other dogs, no disrespect to them because they punched well above their weights to get into the finals that they got into, and I think we made 10 Group finals last year. But he's the first genuine Group class dog I have had.
“With the other dogs you'd make a final and you will just sort of be hoping. With him it doesn't really matter what he's in because of his racing traits, you know you're a chance. If you can lead - and that’s his best asset and normally what he does - you’re going to be a chance in whatever you go around in.”
Doing just that and spearing to the front from box 6, Nangar Jim’s Temora Cup victory was never in doubt as he raced away for a 3½ length win over Overflow Beau in 25.56s, with Victorian Tattooed a further half-length away in third.
“I’m really just pinching myself. He just was super. He was just brilliant.”
And it was after a trip to ‘watch’ the semi-finals of the Ladbrokes Country Classic at Dubbo.
McFadyen had a runner in Saturday night’s semis, Nangar Luna. He was faced with a five-hour trip to and from Dubbo, then eight hours to and from Temora on Sunday. His option was taking Jim to Dubbo and doing one round trip.
He kennelled Nangar Luna and was prepared to take Nangar Jim to a nearby park if he became too agitated, but even the sound of the lure during 12 races never caused a concern for Jim.
“I thought when the lure starts going around, if I've got to drive to a park or something like that and sit in a park, I’ll do that,” he explained. “But he just an intelligent dog and he heard the lure go around, he stood up and I think he knew it was a bit different because he hadn't been kennelled and we just sat there together with both doors of the van open all night. Never a problem.”
Next on the agenda will be the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg with heats to be run on March 30, semi-finals on April 6 and the final on April 13.
Nangar Jim has won two of his three starts at Wentworth Park with a best of 29.76s.
“He's run 29.7s there but he does have a reputation as being sort of a 450m dog but 500 won't worry him at all,” said McFadyen.
“I think he trialled 29.16s at Gosford before the Gosford Cup, and he trialled 29.2s at The Gardens before the Black Top. The impression is that he’s better at one turn and his form suggests that. So he's not proven on two turns in Group company but we may not be saying that by the end of his career.”
