Track specialist Garry Stun On can take the next step towards an emotion-charged tilt at next month’s Group 1 Hume Cup (600m) when he returns to The Meadows on Saturday.

Trained by Cole Brett, Garry Stun On has been airborne at The Meadows in recent weeks, a flying 29.70sec PB over 525m followed by dominant all-the-way BON victories over 600m (34.25sec and 34.45sec).

The underrated December ’20 son of Fully Loaded and Express Angel also broke 30 seconds in close seconds to subsequent G1 Adelaide Cup winner Transponder and superstar Postman Pat.

Underlining Garry Stun On’s affinity with The Meadows, 11 of his 12 career victories have come at the track, his only other success being a Sandown 595m effort back in August 2022, at just his seventh start.

“I keep racing him at The Meadows because he keeps winning. It’s commonsense!”

“He’s a beauty. It’s an absolute privilege to train him,” said Brett.

“He’s a brilliant FFA sprinter, he’s a sensational middle distance dog and he looks like he’ll stay too!

“He has a fantastic strike rate at The Meadows. Every third time he goes there he wins!

“I keep racing him there because he keeps winning. It’s commonsense!

“I was actually a bit surprised he didn’t get a call-up for the Topgun this week.”

There’s great sentiment behind Garry Stun On’s unlikely rise to stardom.

He’s named after his trainer’s late brother, respected coursing stalwart Gary Brett.

WATCH: “He swings for home at a track he loves.” GARRY STUN ON (B6) was a brilliant all-the-way winner at The Meadows on September 16, clocking a PB 29.70sec.

“He’s owned by Matty Reid. Matty’s father, Dave, who was a very close friend of mine, passed away earlier this year,” Cole explained.

“Dave was a beautiful person, a real gentleman, and he was very good to me when Gary passed away. We lost Gary on my birthday, the 9^th of March, two years ago.

“Matty’s the owner but the whole Reid family is involved; Matt’s mum Lyn and sister Sam, as well as Josh Moody, who trained the dog with Dave and Matt early on.

“When Dave got really sick he said, ‘No matter what happens, make sure Cole gets the dog’. They had huge offers for him too. One prominent trainer wanted to buy him, and Lyn’s reply was ‘Would you sell your kids?’

“His owners are the most passionate, animal loving and loyal people you would ever find. I’m just the lucky bloke that gets to train him.”

Garry Stun On in full flight in a 600m victory at The Meadows 📷 Jason Mckeown

Family forms an integral backdrop to the Garry Stun On story, with Brett’s grandchildren jumping on the kennel star’s bandwagon.

“I’m 63 and got my public trainers license when I was 17,” Brett explained.

“I’ve had some good dogs over the years, but I’d say he’s top of the tree!

“He’s got my grandkids involved too. They love coming to watch him race. Wherever we go, they never miss.

“He has a multitude of fans. He’s got a cult following.

“He got really crook a few months ago and we nearly lost him. He got haemorrhagic gastroenteritis. He lost three or four kilos, but he came good and about four weeks later he won at The Meadows. (where else!)

“When you get a good dog that’s what they can do!”

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At his most recent appearance, Garry Stun On’s legion of admirers met with an extremely rare Meadows disappointment, when he was denied a fourth straight victory, running an unlucky sixth over 600m.

He’ll revert to 525m for Saturday night’s FFA (race 8, 9.03pm).

Garry Stun On’s performance is likely to determine whether he targets the G1 Hume Cup (600m) heats or G3 Silver Bullet (525m), both at his favourite track at the traditional Melbourne Cup Eve meeting, Monday, October 6.

“He is flying and without sounding cocky, it’ll take a good one to beat him if he leads,” Brett said.

“Win, lose, or draw, we’ll go to the Campbellfield McDonalds, and he gets a double cheeseburger and a couple of vanilla ice creams!

“Dave (Reid) really wanted to win the Hume Cup, so that’s what I’m looking at. I know it’s a dream, but we’ve got to chase our dreams, don’t we.”

Chasing dreams is exactly what the fast approaching $4.1 million Sportsbet Dream Chasers Festival is all about.