By Isaac Murphy
The late Brett Lee is considered one of Australian greyhound racing greatest ever dogs, so when Queensland trainer Wade Liddell got the opportunity to purchase his progeny in the well performed Nangar Kash he jumped at the chance and is looking forward to making a splash over the Summer Carnival and beyond.
“I’ve got a solid couple of partners who work with me who are constantly on the ball with prospective dogs for racing and breeding purposes and when they saw him for sale about two weeks before the heats of the Million Dollar Chase, I didn’t hesitate to snap him up,” Liddell said.
Nangar Kash had been racing against the toughest company you could find, finishing behind Million Dollar Chase Winner Good Odds Harada a mere six starts ago, a series he made an impact on himself.
“He overcome a couple of checks to win his Million Dollar Heat at Wentworth Park heat in 30.01 and we were quite bullish heading into the semis, unfortunately he came down at the first turn, but we couldn’t wait to get him up here,” Liddell said.
“Off the back of the fall he was a bit ginger, so we took the time to get him checked out and let him settle in and started him off at Ipswich last Saturday in a small but quality field hoping to get him going towards the Ipswich Cup Heats.”
Despite finishing a few lengths off Wise Misty there was a lot of merit in the run, over two weeks since his last start in a new environment up against one of Queensland’s best we took a lot of positives.
“We expected him to probably land behind her in the run and match motors down the back, but he was very poorly out he’s got a bad habit of turning out of the boxes. He mustered but gave her a big start,” Liddell said.
“Wise Misty put up about six on him to the post and he ran the margin down to three by the finish, considering all the intangibles I was really encouraged by what I saw.”
A sixteen-time winner often in top grade across New South Wales, Liddell said the dog oozes class, something he hopes to see a lot of in the ensuing months.
“His record speaks for itself, but he’s got the strut to go with it as well. He’s a complete gentleman, knows when it’s business time and is a joy to have around home,” he said.
“In any race if he can get through the corner in the first three of four his second sectional is phenomenal, and he holds that momentum right through the line.”
“It’s probably a hallmark of your high-class greyhounds. He can have a few things go wrong in a race and still find a way to win which is very encouraging given the program of races we have in Queensland over the next few months.”
Buoyed by his first up performance at Ipswich, Liddell plans to stay at the track with the $75,000 Ipswich Cup first prize a big carrot, but the trainer doesn’t expect to see the best of the dog until the Summer Carnival at Albion Park.
“The Ipswich Cup is our first target and I think he can give it a serious run, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for him up here,” Liddell said.
“We want to get him to Albion sooner rather than later and let him settle in before the Summer Carnival rolls around. The crown is the Group One Gold Bullion, which he should be hitting his straps for in January.”
At three and a half years old Nangar Kash is in his racing prime, but every dog has an expiration date on their racing career and with his credentials Liddell is sure he’ll be in demand at stud.
“He’ll definitely go to sire at some point. When that is we’ll work out, but his pedigree is exceptional,” he said.
“He’s won in 29.52 at Wentworth Park, is a son of Brett Lee, lovely put together 35 kilo dog with a perfect temperament. He’s got everything you want out of a stud dog.”
“Brett Lee was obviously a champion and with him passing away it’s so hard to get a straw off him now, so to have that direct bloodline is a huge tick for him.”
Liddell said he’s never been happier in his training career. His small but quality kennel making it easy for the trainer to put the work in.
“I’ve got six at home and the calibre of dog I’ve got there it’s really exciting. I’ve got Nangar Kash’s brother Nangar Blaze, who’s a top dog in his own right with twelve wins and about to break the $50,000 prize money barrier. It’s the most talent I’ve had in my training career and I’m loving every minute.”