Caption: Trainer Neil Staines with his 2019 Zoom Top Maiden winner Lightning Vision.

By GARY CLARK

IT seems only fitting that the Goulburn Greyhound Racing Club honours the great champion Zoom Top with a $10,000-to-the-winner Maiden which carries her name.

The mighty Zoom Top began her brilliant career at the Goulburn track and the winner of the upcoming race hopefully also has a bright future.

The Zoom Top Maiden, now in its fourth year, was not run last year because of Covid-19. The inaugural race in 2017 was taken out by Rooster Bush.

The ‘Rooster’ was trained by Jodie Lord and the Magic Sprite-Cawbourne Rev youngster ran 25.10  after winning his heat on debut.

He went on to win 12 races from 35 starts and went to Victoria the following year.

Then in 2018 it was a talented Tell Nobody for trainer Alan Pringle who grabbed victory very late in the race, running 25.28s.

The dog was lucky to arrive at the track for the race after Pringle had to overcome numerous hurdles in transit on the country trek to Goulburn.

Flooded roads created a major problem for Pringle but he eventually arrived in time and took the honours.

Tell Nobody was having just his third race start in the final after opening his career in a heat of the Grafton carnival Maiden when finishing second.

The Lonesome Cry-Enlightment dog looked to have a huge future. After his Zoom Top win he then ran a scorching 26.09 at Bulli, scoring by 12 lengths.

As there were limited opportunities in NSW on the big tracks for him, Pringle sent him to Victoria where he won races at Ballarat and Warragul but his career ended after just 17 starts.

The 2019 Zoom Top was won by another smart young dog in the making from the Neil Staines kennel.

Lightning Vision (Kinloch Brae-Seeya Sticka) also made his debut when second in a heat of the Grafton Maiden then won his Zoom Top heat before a slashing performance to win the final in 25.05.

Staines had two runners in the 2017 final but two years later was successful with a dog who was going to take him a long way.

Lightning Vision then six weeks later won the final of the Million Dollar Chase Regional Final at Goulburn against far more experienced dogs.

He then turned up the following month and won a heat of the Goulburn Cup against the best before finishing unplaced in the Final.

Lightning Vision achieved all this in just his first three months of racing. Lightning Vision then went to Wentworth Park and ran an amazing 29.53 before making a Group 1 final at Dapto.

His last run was a great third in a Group 2 at The Gardens behind Flying Ricardo. Injuries made it hard for Staines to keep him on the track and his career was cut short.

The heats of this year’s Zoom Top (440m) will be on July 30 with the final a week later.