Wenty classics a great start to 2024

Caption: GRNSW’s Jeff Collerson – previews a big month of racing at Wentworth Park

(Story from Chase Newspaper, January 2024 edition)

by Jeff Collerson

JANUARY is always a huge month for greyhound racing in NSW, and 2024 is no exception with the Group 2 Beast Unleashed Gosford Cup being staged on the 2nd (won by Good Odds Cobber) leading into four group finals at Wentworth Park on January 20.

The group 1 520m Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder and age restricted National Derby (for dogs) and National Futurity (bitches) along with the group 2 Summer Distance Plate over 720m highlight a tremendous night of quality racing on the 20th.

Oldest of these races is the Paws Of Thunder, launched as the NSW St Leger in 1957 and won by Black Top in 1962.

But Black Top was the reason the inaugural National Derby, held in 1963, was awash with drama.

The son of Top Linen and Classy Jane was considered a certainty to win the final, but Black Top did not even reach the semi-finals after being sensationally eliminated in a non-betting qualifying heat.

Black Top somehow got his tail caught in the door of the starting boxes and came out so far behind the field he was never going to qualify for the semis.

Ironically his litter brother Keen Linen took out that first 1963 Derby final, but shortly after a four dog Interstate Challenge was held at WP where Black Top gained revenge, winning from Victorian aces The Stripper and Mulga Bay, with Keen Linen, the Derby winner, failing to beat a rival home.

The Derby has often atttracted controversy, as in 2020 when pre-post favourite, the Victorian-trained Simon Told Helen, was bitten by a spider and had to be scratched.

Incredibly another finalist, Here Comes Joe, also had to miss the same final due to a spider bite, and the first reserve, Queensland’s Oh Mickey, gained a start from box one and led all the way.

This year’s Derby and Futurity are for greyhounds whelped on or after October 1, 2021, but such age restrictions have not always applied.

In 1974 and 1975 Steelflex, owned and trained by the late Allen Wheeler, father of the famous, also late, breeder Paul Wheeler, became the first and still the only dog to win the Derby twice.

Of currently successful trainers to have won the Derby, none go back further than Ruth Matic, who, with her late husband Matt, won the 1983 final with World Park Ned.

That dog was the first of dozens of big race Matic-trained winners including Wow, Hurricane Luke, Bit Chilli and Len Me Dad.

The Derby was held at Wentworth Park from 1963 to 1986, but transferred to Harold Park in 1987 while the WP grandstand was under construction.

The ’87 final was won by Shy Sultan, at $51 the longest-priced Derby winner, while the classic reverted to WP’s grass surface from 1988 to 1992, and was run on Wenty’s new sand topping from 1993 to 2008.

Under the auspices of the now defunct NSW National Coursing Association, keen to promote their new track at The Gardens, the Derby was held at that Newcastle course from 2009 to 2014, but returned to WP the following year.

And what a year for a metropolitan area return, with the great Fernando Bale taking out the 2015 final.

The females only National Futurity got under way in 1964 with Cultured Girl successful, while the late Allen Wheeler duplicated his Derby victories by landing the 1974 final with Tintawin and the 1983 decider with the mighty Winifred Bale.

Winifred Bale’s 1983 win made up for her defeat in the 1982 Futurity when she set the pace until the home bend before being run down and beaten a head by Promises Free.

That 1982 win was the Pringle family’s Promises Free’s 11th victory in as many starts, and she strung together another trio of successes before her 14-straight unbeaten streak ended with an unlucky third at Dubbo.

The Futurity was staged twice at Harold Park, in 1986 and 1987, on grass at WP from 1988-1992, and on sand there from 1993 until 2009 when, like the Derby, the venue was changed to the Newcastle track The Gardens, which hosted the event from 2009 to 2014.

The 2023 Futurity final was the most emotional, with the Daniel Gatt-trained Wyndra All Class winning for owners Sue and Brian Barton.

Sue Barton, who had been battling terminal cancer, was trackside in a wheelchair to cheer Wyndra All Class home, having left hospital only a few hours before the race. (Sadly, Sue Barton has since passed away).

Undoubtedly the most successful owner-breeders of the Derby and Futurity in modern times have been Marty and Fiona Hallinan, who won the 2014 Derby at The Gardens with Zipping Brock and the 2021 final at WP with Zipping Moose.

They have been even more successful in the Futurity, winning the bitches’ classic in 2015 with Zipping Midge, in 2020 with Zipping Veyron, and a year later with Zipping Sapporo.

The ‘Zipping’ prefix is likely to be at the fore again in 2024, as Sydney trainer Jason Magri is enthusiastic about the Derby and Futurity prospects of his Hallinan-owned and bred duo Zipping Megatron and Zipping Teresa along with the Natina Howard-owned Stop It.

The race record for the Derby was established in 2023 by SA dog Victa Damian in 29.47, while Striker Light’s 2017 Futurity race record of 29.74 remains unchallenged.

At time of writing each of Magri’s contenders boast personal best WP 520m times superior to those race records, with Zipping Megatron winning in 29.42 on October 13 and Zipping Teresa scoring in 29.71 on November 25.

“Zipping Megatron has had to be scratched from his past two engagements but I’m hoping to have him right for the Derby,” Magri said.

“Stop It has won five of his seven races at Maitland, Richmond and Bulli, and he is a real prospect while Zipping Teresa is all systems go for the Futurity at this stage.”

Peter Rodgers, who won this year’s Golden Easter Egg with Simply Limelight, believes Superstar Ethics, so far a winner of just two from eight starts, could be a surprise Derby prospect.

“Although his only WP win was in 29.99, Superstar Ethics is a far, far better dog than what he has shown so far,” Rodgers.

“He is a very fast animal but I’ve just got to get him right.

“I was spoiled by Simply Limelight, who was so easy to train, whereas Superstar Ethics is a bit trickier.”

A strong Victorian contingent is expected to co continue converge on Wentworth Park for the two age classics as since 2015, greyhounds from south of the border have taken out seven finals.

After Fernando Bale’s 2015 Derby win, Out Of Range won in 2018 while Axel Footluce was successful 12 months later.

Striker Light began the Victorian National Futurity onslaught with her race record win in 2017, whlie Blue Sky Riot scored in 2018, Circle Of Dreams a year later and the fine bitch Idolize snared first prize in 2022.

Share:

Facebook
Email
Print
FOR SALE

Greyhound Property
Avoca, Victoria

20 Acres of land

3 Bed | 2 Bath | 16 Car

$959,000 – $989,000

<< View Online Listing >>

Social Media

Chase News Subscribe (it's free!)
Scroll to Top