Brown Flying High With The Brilliant Alpha Zulu

ON the football field Jonathan Brown was renowned for being a fierce competitor where self preservation mattered for little in the pursuit of victory.

So it's with a sense of irony that they are the two very same attributes being embodied by his exciting young greyhound Alpha Zulu, favourite for Thursday night's $225,000 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic (520m) at Albion Park.

Alpha Zulu, winner at six of his eight starts in sensational fashion, is trained by champion Victorian trainer Jason Thompson and owned by triple-premiership winner Brown along with Fox Sports supremo Steve Crawley.

FIELDS AND FORM ALBION PARK THURSDAY NIGHT

Last Thursday, Alpha Zulu, still just 20 months of age, stormed to favouritism for the $150,000-to-the-winner Flying Amy with an impressive 29.91 heat victory.

"He's absolutely blown us away to be honest, he's got a big engine and an even bigger heart," Brown said.

"From everything Jason tells me he's everything you want in a race dog. Fierce chaser on the track but a really good temperament off it.

"He's 34 kilos but when you see him live he's so long and sleek, built to be an athlete. And he's still so young, it's all ahead of him."

Last September, Brown sadly lost his mother Mary to illness, aged 62.

G2 @tabcomau Flying Amy Classic Heat 4 520m

1st: Alpha Zulu (7)
2nd: Custard Monelli (1)
3rd: Perfect Tyrant (3)#QLDisRacing@RaceQLD @tabcomau @SkyRacingAU @GerardDaffy @Bunny_Brasch @SEN_track @MMcInallyPhotos @GRV_News @OfficialRWWA pic.twitter.com/5oexrl1DR4

— Brisbane Greyhounds (@BrisGreys) June 1, 2023

From a family steeped in greyhound racing tradition, Mary was an accomplished trainer, with the first greyhound she prepared, Modern Assassin, winning 40 races, including Group 1 wins in a Perth Cup and Paws Of Thunder.

And it was through that family connection that led to Brown and Crawley assuming ownership of the hugely exciting Alpha Zulu.

"Mum was great friends with Jason and Seona (Thompson) as well and when Crawls suggested the idea of getting a greyhound to me I called Jason," Brown said.

"He told me it might take a while – and it did – but I just left it in his hands. I got a call earlier in the year saying he'd found one and it has worked out unbelievable.

"Crawls and I thought we'd pick up a country win here and there. Maybe mum's looking down from above giving us a little kick along."

Alpha Zulu, the baby of the field, has drawn box five for Thursday night's blockbuster decider where in betting his biggest danger is SA phenom Victa Damian.

But the star-power doesn't stop there with Umberto, another Thompson trained chaser, and NSW powerhouse Zipping Remus, right in the mix also.

Win, lose or draw in the Flying Amy, plans are for Alpha Zulu to surge ahead to next month's Group 1 Brisbane Cup which for the first time will boast $1m in prize money.

And following Alpha Zulu's meteoric rise, Brown says there's been no shortage of inquiries from his Fox Footy colleagues about finding the next ‘Alpha Zulu'.

"There's been a few questions asked," Brown quipped. "But I've explained to them it's not that easy.

"When you tell them the kind of prize money on offer and the fun you can have it's an easy sell but I'll just stick to this fella for now."

While Alpha Zulu is trained in Victoria it would be fitting if his first major group victory came in Brisbane at Albion Park, just a hop, skip and a jump from The Gabba that Brown made his own during his playing days.