The 2025 chasing season is well and truly underway so we've pinned down eight greyhounds we think will continue to star this year.
Dalwhinnie | William Butler | Aston Dee Bee x Rasheda
Dog | Whelped 10-8-22
The Wenty Park track record holder has the chasing world at his feet as we enter 2025 but where exactly do Will Buttler and Terrence Hines steer the rising star?
In his eight career starts, six of them have been at headquarters and he’s already fallen twice which isn’t ideal. He hasn’t been since going down on December 14 but the kennel is hopeful of resuming work in the coming weeks with a mooted return to racing over the middle distance. HYPERLINK
The kennel elected to sidestep the riches on offer in Victoria at the back end of 2024 and with injury ruling him out of the QLD summer program, there is no feature racing over the sprint trip in Sydney until the Golden Easter Egg.
The Country Classic series, which culminates over 605m at Dubbo in March, could be a target, but Butler also suggested earlier this week a race like The Ladbrokes 715 in May at The Gardens would be on the radar if his superstar can handle the step up in trip.
Good Odds Cobber | Frank Hurst | Fernando Bale x Good Odds Meghan
Dog | Whelped 7-1-22
Had his dreams of back-to-back Gosford Gold Cup wins dashed when stewards intervened and ruled him out of the final on February 3 where he was the pre-race favourite and had Box 1.
But it was a rare dark spot on what has been a memorable twelve months for Good Odds Cobber.
He managed to claim a triple crown of feature races last year when he took home the Group 1 Dapto Megastar, the Group 2 Gosford Cup and the Group 3 New Sensation.
He made finals of the National Derby, the Bulli Gold Cup, the Brisbane Cup, the Black Top, the Million Dollar Chase and the Topgun, while he also ran second in the State Of Origin sprint.
He celebrated his third birthday on Tuesday so hopefully he’s got a few more good months of top-flight racing in him and he can add to his 29 career wins and over $410,000 in prizemoney.
Gets Late Early | Minnie Finn | Flying Ricciardo x Poco Dorado
Bitch | Whelped 8-2-22
Much like ‘The Cob’, Gets Late Early has been a model of consistency since bursting onto the scene in her National Futurity victory last January.
The sole bitch on this list, she won 20 races in 2024 and made appearances in finals of the Nowra Puppy Classic, the Dapto Megastar and the Black Top. She also finished second in the inaugural Group 1 Paul Wheeler – Simply The Best in December before claiming the aforementioned Gosford Cup by half a length last week.
The daughter of the super stayer Poco Dorado can lay claim to being the best of a very good litter so far with more than $277,000 in career earnings, but with her third birthday around the corner (February) and 71 race starts already to her name, I wonder how much longer we will see her go around?
Minnie Finn mentioned during the week she could be a surprise starter in the heats of the GRNSW Richmond Straight Cup later this month and if true, that would add some real intrigue to the series.
Zipping Chaplin | Courtney Barnes | Feral Franky x Zipping Truvy
Dog | Whelped 8-4-22
One of the newer kids on the block, Zipping Chaplin really made his presence felt in the back half of 2024.
He debuted in April at Wentworth Park in a time of 30.39, and it took him until his sixth start to register a time under the 30 second mark. After a string of races over the middle distance through the Winter months, he returned to Wenty in August to run 29.60, and then ripped off nine more wins around the State.
The son of Feral Franky’s crowning moment was a third-place finish in the Group 1 Paul Wheeler – Simply The Best behind Blue Kermaro, and after clocking a Wenty Park PB of 29.49 in his final race of 2024, he looms as a dog to watch entering the New Year.
Rinsed The Lot | Michelle Sultana | Barcia Bale x Mrs. Mouse
Dog | Whelped 8-5-22
Burst onto the scene just over a year ago with a dominant win in the Maitland Future Stars and then won the Group 1 Vic Peters Classic in just his sixth go around.
Sadly for chasing fans, he’s only had six starts since (12 total) and he was last seen finishing fourth in a semi-final of the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase behind Zipping Megatron.
Was picked up by the Melbourne Storm to run in The Phoenix not long after but unfortunately he had to withdraw with injury and is yet to return to the track.
He will be three in May so the Golden Easter Egg looms as an ideal big race target (and Michelle Sultana and Darryl Thomas would be aiming for back-to-back Egg’s) but he needs to overcome his injury troubles first. Fingers crossed we see plenty more of Rinsed The Lot in 2025.
Late Night News | Caroline Hughes | Fernando Bale x Zipping Kelly
Dog | Whelped 19-1-23
The lone stayer on the list and may be our best long-distance hope in 2025 considering his age and the fact Group 1 winning stars Palawa King and Ritza Piper are no certainties to race on.
Late Night News emerged as a serious staying prospect on December 14 when he belted Ritza Piper by nearly eight lengths at Wenty Park in his first go at 720m. The time of 41.72 made plenty sit up and take notice and then he backed it up with an impressive win in the Group 3 Christmas Cheer a week later (defeating Ritza Piper and Canya Amy).
The son of Fernando Bale x Zipping Kelly rounded out 2024 with another Wenty Park win (41.78) to stamp himself as the number one contender for the Summer Distance Plate, with the final to be run and won on January 18.
He’s also the litter brother to West Rock Casey who won the Muswellbrook Cup final and will go around in the heats of the National Derby on Saturday.
Spirit Boy | Craig Gardoll | Corykodi X Liar Teller=
Dog | Whelped 2-9-22
There may be some recency bias here but the Gardoll camp of Craig and Reggie has been on fire and Spirit Boy is the best dog in the kennel.
Debuting at Albion Park near on a year ago, he raced predominantly at Grafton and Casino while working his way through his grades.
Spirit Boy really announced himself in the back half of 2024 though, reeling off five straight wins in the Northern Rivers through the Winter months, before heading to Taree in November and taking home the Group 3 Mid North Coast Cup. He then ran fourth in the Group 3 Casino Cup final behind kennelmate Party Mode, before claiming a massive victory in the recent Qld Derby in a time of 29.85.
He’s the second youngest dog on this list and with the ability to hop back and forth between States over the next year, Spirit Boy could do some more damage in both NSW and QLD.
Bernardo Beast | Darren Sultana | Bernardo x Van Evie
Dog | Whelped 18-2-22
With the GRNSW Richmond Straight Cup just around the corner, we had to include a straight tracker to watch in 2025 and it could only really come from one kennel.
Darren Sultana has had a mortgage on nearly every straight track FFA run and won at Richmond in the last three years and the good times keep rolling with Bernardo Beast.
Although he hasn’t yet reached the heights of Mr. America or Shall Not, the son of Bernardo x Van Evie has already won eight of his nine starts at Richmond since arriving from Victoria, and he also claimed the Anniversary Cup up the straight at Capalaba in December.
His PB at Richmond of 17.17 is less than a length outside Mr. America’s track record and his only defeat at the circuit came at the hands of Raging Zeal on Boxing Day.
