It's rare for a maiden winner to post fastest time of the meeting but Ritza Kris achieved that distinction at Wentworth Park on Saturday night when she led throughout to win the 520m Maiden Final in 29.66.
Ritza Kris went into the race as the quickest heat winner with a 29.81 victory on August 7 and despite racing a little wide, began brilliantly and wasn't headed in Saturday's final.
After the race trainer Patricia Chaker said: "Before her heat win Ritza Kris had a box-to-box trial at Wentworth Park and she went extra well.
"So after the August 7 race win I brought her back to Wentworth Park and gave her another box-to-box hit-out and she clocked exactly the same time she had recorded before her race success.
"But she went even better tonight so I will now take her through her grades at Wentworth Park.
"Ritza Kris is the first greyhound I have trained for Frank Gatt, the father of successful trainers Mark and Daniel Gatt.
"Frank gave me Ritza Kris to train as a reward for me pre-educating his former champion stayer Stanley Road, winner of the 2021 group one Association Cup at Wentworth Park.''
Wagga trainer Ray Sims has been involved in the sport for over 60 years and was in the winner's circle on Saturday night when Son Of Bianca scored an impressive first-up Wentworth Park win, clocking 29.88 to win a 520m fifth grade.
Sims, the father of highly successful trainer Peter Sims, pre-trained Daily Tide, winner of the 1965 group one Vic Peters Classic, held at Harold Park.
Sims put in the hard yards to ensure Son Of Bianca could win on Saturday night, making two trips from Wagga to Glebe just to trial the dog at Wentworth Park.
"I first gave Son Of Bianca a post-to-post slip and he went well, clocking 24.19, and then I brought him back to trial him out of the 520m boxes and he clocked 29.72,'' Sims said.
On Saturday night Son Of Bianca began only fairly from box one but railed strongly into the first bend and after trailing pacemaker Slick Apollo to the home turn, hit the front half-way down the straight before holding off the strong finishing Zipping Zodiac to score by just under a length.
Winsome Josie, bought for $17,000 at the Richmond Puppy Auction, overcame a slow start to win on debut at Wentworth Park on Saturday night in 30.13.
Trained by Minnie Finn for her son Todd Barnes, Winsome Josie railed to the lead leaving the back straight to defeat Ginny's Run, trained by her sister Patricia Chaker, by one-and-a-half lengths.
"Winsome Josie should improve on that time because she had not seen Wentworth Park before tonight's race, she had not trialled on the track,'' Minnie Finn said later.
"I have paid up for her to contest the GRNSW Puppy Auction Classic at Richmond in late November.''
Later in the programme Finn's daughter-in-law Courtney Barnes landed a winning double with Zipping Mooney (29.78) and Zipping Rhodes (29.88).
Barnes' winners are litter sisters, being June 24, 2023 whelpings by Aston Dee Bee from Zipping Virginia.
Also landing a double on Saturday night was young trainer Billy Godden, who took out a 520m fourth and fifth grade with Trunkey Chief in 29.80 and a 520m fifth grade with that dog's litter brother Trunkey Shearer in 29.85.
There wasn't a more impressive Wentworth Park winner on Saturday night than the Craig Chappelow-trained Crazed, who bolted away with a 520m fifth grade in 29.77.
Crazed, who had box four, began only fairly and was checked soon after the start when another dog veered sharply to the left and put him off balance.
But Crazed recovered so quickly he had zoomed into third place entering the back straight and pounced on the lead soon after to score by nearly seven lengths.
