Bendigo owner-trainer Nathan McKay, accompanied by wife Natalie, daughter Sophie and greyhound Mad Brax, didn’t really know what to expect last week when he arrived at Mount Gambier’s greyhound track for the first time.

But he had been pleasantly surprised. “This is a really good set-up,” he said. “Good amenities, good track, friendly people and a playground for the kids. I’ll be back, for sure.”

And, of course, things got even better later in the day when Mad Brax stepped out from box seven in the Rocks Tavern Stake (400 metres) at the Thursday time-graded meeting.

Always on the pace, the black dog found the front off the back before running away to a 3¾ length win over Crusoe Kid in a smart 23.03 seconds.

For the black dog it had been more than four months since he had last been successful – at Bendigo where he had won over 425 metres in a tidy 24.07 seconds. However, a month later at Ballarat when a short-priced favourite, he suffered an injury that sidelined him for three months.

“To be honest, I didn’t really know how he would come back,” McKay said. “But I was really pleased with his first two runs back over 385 metres at Shepparton where he ran close-up minor placings prior to today’s win in good time.”

Mad Brax, a son of Fabregas and Scott A Secret, was bred by McKay in partnership with Mark Anstice, their association going back to when they were kids.

McKay, 40, who first became involved in greyhound racing as an owner back in 2009, has been training since 2019.

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