Kingsbrae Brett's runaway win on Thursday night marked a long overdue return to the winning trainers' roster at Wentworth Park for a member of the legendary Northfield family, arguably the sport's most famous clan.
Kingsbrae Brett, who raced wide and came from third on the back straight to lead approaching the home turn, careered away to win the 520m Masters race by nine lengths in a tidy 30.06 and will now be set for the October 8 heats of the Masters Meteor, worth $50,000 to the winner final on October 16.
It was the dog's 28th win in 65 races and at his Wentworth Park race debut Kingsbrae Brett could hardly have been more impressive.
He is trained by Leeville, near Casino, by 34-year-old Jacob Northfield, son of successful Northern Rivers trainer Glen Northfield and the nephew of Brad Northfield, who raced the 2007 National Futurity and Ladies Bracelet winner Bralyn Maisie, both major Wentworth Park finals.
"That was my first Wentworth Park winner.'' Jacob Northfield declared soon after arriving home from Thursday's Wentworth Park meeting at six am the following morning.
"I did the hard yards and had given Kingsbrae Brett a 520m trial at Wentworth Park before Thursday's race and he went well, clocking 29.70.''
The Northfields have been involved in the sport for 90 years and are held in such high esteem that one of the major races on the Northern Rivers calendar is the Pop Northfield Maiden, held annually at Casino.
It was first staged in 1973 and this year's final, on October 23 over 411m, will be worth $10,000 to the winner.
Charlie "Pop" Northfield took his family to Casino's first race meeting on March 18, 1936, and trained Bonall's Return to win the Lismore and Ballina Cups in 1946 before producing a major upset when his dog Stratheden Rock defeated the great Sydney champion Zoom Top by three lengths over 457m at Lismore in July 1969.
Pop's son Bill then trained the mighty Pretty Short, whose 50 wins included an astonishing 14 track records, and he became the father of Mitch Northfield, whose bitch Mitcharlie Mia won the group two Richmond Oaks in 2016.
How fitting it would be if the final meeting at Wentworth Park heralded a Masters Meteor win for Kingsbrae Brett, trained by a member of the Northfield family, one of greyhound racing's most famous dynasties.
