April'08 - Greyhounds Queensland

REG Kay has one simple piece of wisdom
from the 38 years he has been in greyhound
racing.
“Rearing, it is everything,” said Reg. “If
pups are not reared right, they have no chance
of developing into good dogs no matter what
their pedigree.”
In fact, Reg puts even more emphasis on
rearing than pedigrees.
Kay has proved this to himself, even
though he is the first to admit the Another
Fool damline made he and Helen Lamberton,
just like Reg and now partner Julie
Edmondson have been made by the Queen
Size damline, and the line from Mad Midge.
Reg Kay got his first greyhound in 1970.
He worked a milk run from midnight to
dawn and had all day to go greyhound racing
with a few guys from the depot.
Reg spent 18 months training out of Betty
O’Mara’s kennels after her husband Dave had
been tragically killed. He then spent four years
running the trials at Lawnton.
Reg’s first dog Pace Attack by Western
Range (a son of Black Top) didn’t win a race.
Reg, a grade cricketer in Brisbane, gave him a
cricket name but with a poor result.
His first winner was Fredasal Sparkle who
beat an odds-ion pop from the Perc and Syd
Norris kennel over 600m at Lawnton.
In 1988 he and then partner Helen
Lamberton bought 40 acres at Lowood. “I
should have bought more,” he laments. They
set about giving greyhound racing their full
time endeavours.
They put in a magnificent 400m straight
track with a shute for a 300m distance. The
kennel block has held up to 30 dogs in training
and there have been 50 pups being reared
there at any one time.
“These days it is 10 racing dogs and 20
pups,” said Reg.
The property has two five-acre galloping
paddocks both with a dam.
Then there are two 5 metre wide by 200m
long competition runs where pups are
galloped.
A couple of whelping boxes rounds out
the complex.
The entire Kay operation is based around
rearing pups in a tried and true fashion.
Pups are kept in the whelping kennel until
they are three months old when they are them
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CLASS 2 MEETING (Night TAB Meeting)
2008
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MAIDEN SERIES
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Reg Kay has been in greyhound racing since 1970. At first he was a hobby trainer with a couple of dogs under
his house. In 1988 he moved to a 40-acre property at Lowood and started taking the world by storm. It started with
Final Draft, First To Fire, Duel, Spark Again, Incredible Fool, moved on to dogs like Elite State, Fool’s Fiasco,
Fool’s State and continues today with Elite Oriental and Knocka Norris and Made To Size. So what drives the
Kay success? It's all in the rearing, says Reg. Journal Editor DAVID BRASCH spoke to Reg Kay.
Pups in a five-acre
galloping paddock on Reg
Kay's Lowood property.
put, as a litter, into one of the two five-acre
paddocks.
“We leave the mother with them for as
long as she wants to stay with them,” said
Kay. “Spark Again stayed with Elite State an
d Firefly Boy until they were 12 months old.
But some mothers get too nasty.
“It is marvellous what the mother will teach
her pups.”
Kay feeds heavily and concentrates on
lots of red meat for his broodbitches. “She
gets fed about a pound of meat for each of
the pups, kibble to a minimum,” he said.
The paddock galloping is regular. “The
dam is a must. It’s nothing to see a pup
running his heart out, then spend 10 minutes
in the dam and be back running its heart out
again in those paddocks,” said Reg.
”The best time to see them run is a few
minutes after they have been fed, charging
around the paddock with a stomach full of
food in the evening.”
Kay feeds milk to his pups until they are
about five or six months old but cuts it out
after that.
At around seven or eight months all these
pups are brought into the kennel block. From
that moment they are put into the competition
runs morning and night for galloping.
By six months of age each pup is being
fed once a day, about three pounds of meat,
kibble and fluid in their dinner. Up to six
months of age, DCP powder is added to each
Now at stud ...
Token Jet
Albion Park 29.91 (4
times under 30.00),
Ipswich 30.69,
Lismore 29.93 (Trk
Rec), 26 wins at Alb
Pk. Won 10 FFAs in
row at Alb Pk.
The (April, 2008) Journal Page 14
It's all
in the
rearing
says Reg
meal.
Kay has always been in favour of early
education, thus the move by each pup at
seven or eight months of age to the kennel
block and controlled running each morning
and afternoon in the competition runs.
“They do about 800 metres morning and
night. If we get a lazy pup, we take them over
to the straight track and give them a drag
behind the lure over 100 metres.”
Kay said it is at this time that they sort
out the good from the ordinary.
“We’ve found that if pups don’t run, they
end up being maidens or fifth graders,” he
said. “All our pups have the basic instincts
of galloping by the time they are broken in.”
At seven to eight months the pups are
taught to lead and go through a racing kennel
routine.
“At 11 to 12 months we get serious with
the pups, but with all the running they have
had, you will be aware they are much more
advanced than most pups.”
Each pup is given a couple of slips over
200m on the straight track behind the drag
lure. “They do that on their ear they are that
fit.”
If chasing well, they head to the bull ring
where they are encourage to hang onto the
lure.
“We have electric timing on the straight
track,” said Kay. “The best pups we have had
always break 12 seconds for that slip. Most
White & Black dog, June '03, 33.6kg
Token Prince-Miss Corleone by Head Honcho
90 starts, 30 wins, 21 2nds, 9 3rds, $100,000
Won: Clem Jones Cup (Alb Pk in race record), Vince Curry
Consolation, Albion Park Young Guns. 2nd: Brisbane Cup
Consol. 3rd: Lismore Cup; 3rd Ipswich Gold Cup (2005 &
2006). Finalist: Group 1 Brisbane Cup, Group 1 Winter
Carnival Cup, Group 2 Qld Derby (to his litter brorher Black
Enforcer), Clem Jones Cup.
Stud Fee $880 Frozen Semen available
Brian Kutner (07) 46374252 or 0412 877256