King Kalyn Proving A ‘Marvel' For Thomas

UNBEATEN youngster King Kalyn solidified his standing as one of the hottest young pups coming through the ranks with a colossal Maitland victory last Thursday afternoon for Ash and Kylie Thomas.

Stepping up to the 450 metres for the first time last Thursday, following two slashing 400m victories – posting times of 22.35 and 22.21 – the 23 month old son of Barcia Bale and Joybell Magic overcame a slow getaway to barge through the field for a comprehensive 3 ¼ length 25.29 success, maintaining the perfect start to his flourishing career.

"He's shown us a lot of ability right from the start," said Ashley Thomas on Wednesday.

"We bred the litter here at Marvel Park and sent the ones we kept to Chris and Sandra Spratt at Cudal for break-in. They all broke in very good, under 19.30 odd, but King Kalyn broke in 19 flat, they don't really break-in faster than that, I was pretty stoked to be honest. Chris and Sarah Kedwell at Madyl Lodge did a fantastic job rearing the pups.”

This Thursday, the hugely promising King Kalyn returns to Maitland, with Thomas confident his rising star can stretch his winning sequence out to four when he steps out as a warm favourite in race five of the afternoon, over the 450m from box four.

"Last week was his first go over the 450m and when he bombed the start like he did I thought he was next to no chance," reflected Thomas.

"He showed us a lot with the way he went about things last week. The difference with the real good ones is that they have a plan B – he's showing maturity well beyond his age and has proven he can do it the hard way as well. He's the perfect dog at home as well, has a great temperament.

"I've got a healthy respect for his opposition on Thursday but if he wins again we'll probably look to take him down to Bulli over the 472m, being mindful of his grades. We just want to take him along slow and let him build up his confidence."

As his name suggests, King Kalyn is named after young Newcastle Knights sensation Kalyn Ponga, but as Thomas explains, it hasn't all been smooth sailing with the prodigious talent.

"When we first started working them they were flying up Redhead and not long after we took King Kalyn over to Cessnock for a run. Jeff Jaeger clocked him at 13.70 which for a pup is exceptional but he charged into the catching pen and broke both his shoulders. John Newell said in all his years he'd never seen a dog break both shoulders – we can't thank both John and Peter Yore enough for their help with him.”

As is generally the case when a young pup hits the ground running with the ability and zest for racing King Kalyn is displaying, Thomas said inquiries have been made about the prospect of the dog being for sale.

"The phone has rang a few times about him but I'll tell you it'd take a pretty decent offer to prize him away from my wife – she loves him, we all do," added Thomas.

"My wife Kylie works with the dogs full-time and her brother Peter McMurray does heaps of the work with them as well, Pete actually owns King Kalyn.

“It really is a team of three, they both deserve the credit. After King Kalyn broke his shoulders, for the first few weeks Kylie and Pete had to carry the dog just to go to the toilet before he could start walking again."

Thursday's Anzac Day program at Maitland may prove to be a big afternoon for Team Thomas, with King Kalyn's litter-mates My Lil Louie and Bazza's Babe appearing live chances in their respective events also.

My Lil Louie will look to break his maiden status in race two from box three over the 450m, while in the third event of the day, Bazza's Babe takes her place from box one in a fifth grade over the 400m.

"My Lil Louie hasn't had a lot of luck so far – Thursday does look a nice race for him," said Thomas.

"He's got better box speed than King Kalyn but isn't as strong at the finish. Bazza's Babe has a lot of ability but she's still a work in progress, if she can make use of box one on Thursday and gets a clean lead then she'll be hard to beat, she trialled very well on Saturday morning."

Enjoying plenty of success with Joybell Magic's first litter, Thomas told the Recorder that her second to Dyna Double One – aged eight months – have all been sold.

"We had a few new syndicates approach us about buying some of the pups, it's great to see new people come into the sport and it's important to us they have a good experience first time," said Thomas.

"We'll follow the exact same process we have with the first litter and stick to what's proven to work. We want to do everything we can to get those syndicates the best result possible.

"We're working hard to set up our breeding establishment here at Brandy Hill, doing what we can when money and time permits.

“We've also got a litter that are six weeks old by Barcia Bale out of Maggie Marvel we are quite excited about.

"Maggie Marvel was a very good race bitch, the best I've had in over 15 years of owning.

"She won seven of 13 but injuries meant we never saw the best of her. With her ability and breeding lines I'd be surprised if she doesn't throw something pretty decent. We're only new to the training side of things but are loving it."