The Seymour-based stable, led by coach Kelvin Lubeck, has enjoyed huge success over the past few seasons, and the 2025-26 campaign is shaping up to be no different.
With numbers swelling last season, the group has absorbed even more members since, as well as retaining the overwhelming majority of last season’s athletes, which bodes well ahead of the Seymour Gift, which will return to Kings Park in just over a month’s time.
“We have now a runner from Lara, a runner from Geelong, a runner from Port Arlington, a runner from Wangaratta, and an American college athlete, a heptathlete, has joined us,” Lubeck said.
“I think, with young kids and whatnot, I think, you know, we could have, if they’re all fit, we might have 20-odd runners at the Seymour Gift from Kelfit.”
Among the new athletes to join the squad is Declan Goodwin, hailing from Lara, who previously represented the Graeme Watkins stable. He made the switch following the retirement of his coach, and has had an immediate impact.
In his very first outing for Kelfit in the season opener at Cobden, Goodwin, lining up off a handicap of 160m in the 1600m Open race, ran a time of four minutes and 20.7 seconds to claim the win in an impressive first-up showing.
It has Lubeck excited about his prospects come the season finale at Stawell, where a similar run could have him right in the mix.
“(Goodwin) got to the front with a lap to go, and the back marker got to within about 20 metres of him, but (he was pretty comfortable), it was good,” Lubeck said.
“He won’t run that distance again until Stawell … and I think with that handicap, he could be competitive.”
There were a number of other Kelfit athletes in action, too, with Cooper Lubeck, Blair Collins and Nick Dundon finishing third, eighth and ninth, respectively, behind Goodwin in the 1600m Open at Cobden, with Collins also finishing third in the over-45 800m, while new addition Andrea Hearne progressed to the semi-final in the women’s 100m.
Ian Porter ran well in the over-35 100m and 300m events, while Hayden Anderson successfully returned from a hamstring injury, emerging unscathed from the 100m men’s event, although he has been forced to fight through a recent alteration to his handicap.
“It was windy, wet, average conditions, both in Mortlake and Cobden, and that’s what you expect, but Blair (Collins), the president, was fantastic,” Lubeck said.
“Hayden Anderson ran in the sprint, so he got through without being injured, so that's good.
“Unfortunately, him and Andrea (Hearne), both sprinters, I thought they could have had an exciting year, but they got hit a metre and a half a metre or a quarter on their handicap from last year.
“Without getting technical, it’s a notation handicap, because they’ve ran certain times during the past two seasons … so, instead of him being off a nice handicap, you know, seven and a half (metres), something like that, he’s off six and a half, so it’s going to be harder to get to Stawell.”
The Kelfit stable will next be in action this Saturday, November 8, for the Essendon Gift, with just over a month until the athletes return to Kings Park on December 13 for the Seymour Gift, which was named VAL Event of the Year last season following a stunning return to the calendar.
