Blue Kermaro, the $10,000 purchase by young Victorian owner-trainer Josh Formosa who took out the Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park in October, added another $75,000 to his earnings with a race record win in Saturday night's Ladbrokes Paul Wheeler Simply The Best final at headquarters.
Blue Kermaro was expected to make the pace from box two but was beaten for the early lead by the Minnie Finn-trained Gets Late Early, who began brilliantly from box eight.
But Blue Kermaro railed to the lead on the back straight and comfortably held off Gets Late Early to score by just under two lengths, covering the 520m in 29.40.
Those figures were .10sec inside the race record set by the mighty She's A Pearl when she won the same final, then known as the Paws Of Thunder, in 2023.
Blue Kermaro
Zipping Chaplin, trained by Minnie Finn's daughter-in-law Courtney Barnes, rattled home to finish third, around four lengths from the winner.
The 20th running of The Collerson, traditionally the consolation final for the Paws Of Thunder and now the Paul Wheeler, was won by the Charmaine Roberts-trained Sooty Keeping.
Roberts' partner, Dubbo club president Shayne Stiff, said before the race: "Sooty Keeping will win for sure if she jumps.
"Charmaine has always had an enormous wrap on this bitch.''
Sooty Keeping was only fourth away but swept to the lead going into the catching pen when the pacemakers, Sinaloa Girl and History's Coming, came together.
Sooty Keeping raced away to win by three lengths from the Minnie Finn-trained Both Bowers Ace, a litter brother to her Paul Wheeler runner-up Gets Late Early, in 29.47.
Zig Zag Man will target the Group 1 Ladbrokes National Derby following his impressive 29.37 overhauling of Zipping Grinch in a 520m fifth grade on Saturday night.
After the race Zig Zag Man's trainer Syd Swain said: "Next month's Derby series has been this dog's mission since I start training him, I've always known he was that good.
"Although Zig Zag Man was beaten one-and-a-half lengths by a very good dog in Gold Force at Wentworth Park on December 12, I thought my bloke was a bit stiff not to have won.
"He showed how good he was by running down a smart greyhound in Zipping Grinch tonight but I wasn't surprised, because Zig Zag Man is incredibly strong at the finish.''
Later in the night Miss Zig Zag, raced by Zig Zag Man's owner Kerrie Verhagen, gave Swain a winning double when she won a 520m fourth and fifth grade in 29.57
"I just wish he was six days younger,'' lamented trainer Mick Hardman after Zipping Cruise led throughout to win in a personal best 29.63 at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
"Because he is too old by just six days to compete in the National Derby heats at Wentworth Park on January 11.
"Zipping Cruise is a very quick dog and when I was pre-training him at Wenty he looked like being capable of running at least 29.70.
"He goes like a rocket around Goulburn so he brought his Goulburn form to town tonight.''
Late Night News, who made a sensational 720m debut with an eight lengths win in 41.72 at Wentworth Park on December 14, had to pull out all stops to stave off a determined Bandit Daryl to win over the same trip on Saturday in 41.92.
After the race trainer Caroline Hughes said: "A lot of stayers don't go as well at their second go over 720m, it seems the first run flattens them to some extent.
"So I was happy Late Night News lifted in the run home when he looked like he might get run down.''
Fastest time of the night was posted by Michael Ivers' sensational prospect Great Terms, who led throughout to land the 520m Maiden Final in 29.26.
Great Terms had disappointed Ivers in winning his heat in only 29.80 but on Saturday the dog's owner-trainer said: "I sensed he was a different dog tonight.
"Last week when he won his heat it was all new to him but tonight he travelled better on the way to the track, and settled more calmly in the kennels.
"He was totally different to how he was last week and fulfilled his real potential tonight.''
