Champion trainer Tony Brett dominates on the big stage

By Alex Nolan

On the same night Tony Brett collected his fifth Group 1 Brisbane Cup and put the finishing touches on yet another Group 1 Queensland Cup winner, the Hall Of Fame trainer revealed he is preparing to significantly downsize his operation to keep a promise he made to wife Fleur.

Brett was left speechless moments after his star chaser Orchestrate lived up to all the immense potential he’d shown over the past 18 months by careering away from kennel mate Just A Sort to win the $525,000 show-piece in front of a large crowd at Albion Park.

It completed a Group 1 double – of sorts – for the kennel after Collinda Patty led throughout to win the Queensland Cup for holidaying trainer Jason Thompson.

Collecting his thoughts in time for the Brisbane Cup trophy presentation, the trainer made a touching speech in which he reflected on his near life-long association with the sport.

“My dad (the late Dave Brett) brought a greyhound home when I was five years old and little did I know then I’d be standing here having just won Queensland’s richest race,” he said.

He declared the past seven days to be his greatest in the sport, with the two Group 1 Final's complementing five heat winners last Thursday.

“I might never get this chance again, so there is plenty of people I needed to thank,” he said.

“We’ll be taking no new dogs into the kennels, and with five visitors to go home that will take us down to 12 and out of that we’re probably going to keep four or five.

"Even if it gets down to one or two … but five or six will feel like a walk in the park.

“I promised Fleur when we got married that I’d take her to Paris for her 40^th birthday and she’s 47 this year and we still haven’t been.

“She’s been our rock the whole way through so it’s time to enjoy ourselves a little bit.”

Showing his customary acceleration with a blistering 5.40 second first split from box eight, Orchestrate found the front exiting the home straight for the first time and established a winning break early.

Although Just A Sort stuck to his task in hot pursuit, he was never going to catch the son of Barcia Bale who led throughout to score in 29.65 seconds.

Just A Sort did finish second, with the heavily backed Photo Man finishing best of the rest in third.

“We probably under sell our dogs a bit but bang, he’s just stepped straight up in three weeks and kept finding,” Brett said.

“He got beaten a nose by Equalizer in the Super Sprinters two weeks back but I was the happiest man on the track.

"I knew then and there he would be cherry ripe for tonight.”

Orchestrate won the Rockhampton Cup early in his career before being Queensland’s sole winner in last year’s Origin Greyhound Series.

He overcame multiple setbacks in time for a tilt at the Gold Bullion in he summer before heading south to contest the Australian Cup but was scratched on race morning due to slight lameness.

The Tom Kinnear-owned chaser returned a winner at Albion Park in mid-May and improved with each run on his way to collecting the $350,000 winners’ cheque.

“Tonight’s our 20^th Group 1 but everyone told us after we won our first Group 1 that ‘you’ve had your group dog, enjoy it because you don’t get dogs like that’,” Brett said.

“But, here we are with Group 1 number 20 and we’ve always believed that, we just say ‘let’s keep going’.

“We’ve had some rough times but you’ve got to keep focussed and keep doing what you’re doing.

“You love winners but jeez there’s something special when the pressure’s on and everyone’s watching, it’s so much fun. I just love it.”

The Brisbane Cup victory followed a thrilling finish to the Group 1 TAB Queensland Cup, in which Brett put the finishing touches on the Jason Thompson-trained winner Collinda Patty.

The fastest qualifier seven days earlier was sent out the second-elect ahead of temporary kennel mate Bedrock Fred after drawing box six.

However, it mattered little as she worked to the front and remained there throughout, with Bedrock Fred making late ground to complete a Brett quinella, of sorts.

For Thompson, it was his second Queensland Cup victory after Hotshow Vintage saluted more than two decades ago in 2001.

Thompson and his family were holidaying in Bali, leaving Brett and his family to celebrate together.

“There’s not a lot of betting going on in Bali so they’ll all be around an iPad and would have screamed the house down,” Brett said.

“The send the dogs ready to go, I’ve just got to keep them going.”

Brett did admit to willing on Bedrock Fred in the run to the line, given the thrills that greyhound has given him over the past five weeks in Queensland.

“We’ve had Fred here the whole time and I know how much his owners would’ve loved it,” Brett said.

“Freddie being the favourite it would have been nice, but once Collinda Patty led, like she did last week, she’s as strong as an ox.

“It’s very special for us. I’ve been doing this a long time and to have the kids here … every greyhound trainer will tell you there are sacrifices you’ve got to make when you train dogs being a family.

"So these nights are our gold medal and what we look forward to.

“As much as we don’t actually train (Collinda Patty and Bedrock Fred) it doesn’t matter to us, they’re in the kennels at home and in our team and we do the same for them as anyone else.”

Days Of Thunder rocketed into third for trainer Warren Nicholls, who was lining up in his first Group 1 Final.

Dropping out to last, as has become habit for the diminutive stayer, she picked her way through the field to get within a length of a famous victory.

“I thought we were too far back going up the back and then all of a sudden she ripped in and didn’t miss by much,” Nicholls said.

She now looks likely to gain a start in next week’s Origin Greyhound Series for Queensland in the 710 metre event.

“She just makes it difficult for herself coming from behind but she’s got to be a good hope,” Nicholls said.  

“We’re going to have a lot more fun with her.”