Joanne spearheaded a big night for trainer Sam Sultana and his daughter Kristy Sultana by posting a sizzling 29.52 personal best time at Wentworth Park on Saturday.
Trained by Sam Sultana for Allan Denham, the son of legendary late thoroughbred trainer Jack Denham, Joanne led all the way to win a fifth-grade race by six lengths from the Jason Magri-trained Lockdown, who kept in touch with the winner in the early stages.
Joanne does not represent the first venture into greyhound racing by Allan Denham, a successful thoroughbred trainer in his own right, as he raced Donovan Bailey, who won the 1995 Summer Cup over 720m at Wentworth Park in race record time.
Sam Sultana landed a second winner 19 minutes later when False Witness overcame a moderate getaway but was assisted by a rails run in the middle stages to win the top grade Mark Hughes Foundation Stakes in 30.06.
Joanne's litter brother Wyndra All Heart, who had been sent out a beaten odds-on favourite in each of three previous starts, broke through for his first success when he led throughout in a 520m Maiden Final.
Wyndra All Heart is raced by GBOTA director Brian Barton, who owned Wyndra All Class, winner of the 2023 group one National Futurity at Wentworth Park.
Mark Gatt, trainer of Wyndra All Heart, said: "Brian bought this dog as a puppy, and he has always shown ability.
"He trialled 29.80 at Wenty before he even raced, but like a lot of Fernando Bale stock, he has needed time to show his true ability.
"We got a bit of help at the start tonight because Wyndra All Heart had box six and the dog in box five veered left when the boxes opened.''
David Smith owned and trained the longest priced winner of the night when $101 rank outsider Mystical Ethics ran down Magic Ang to win the 520m fifth grade bitches final in a nippy 29.78.
Mystical Ethics, who had won just one of 10 previous races, paid $130 on the win tote and gave Smith a winning double as an owner.
Rugged Ethics, trained for Smith by Shane Pulbrook, gave a big start and a beating to Grand Blazer in Saturday's 520m Battlers Stakes.
Rugged Ethics, one of two greyhounds Pulbrook trains for Smith, had been unplaced twice in 720m races at Wentworth Park in September.
David Smith said: "It looks as if Rugged Ethics can't run 720m and because it seems around 640m is his perfect distance he was able to run home strongly at the end of 520m tonight.''
Lorraine Atchison, who raced and trained the 2015 Maitland Cup winner Spacecraft, was full of praise for young trainer Billy McGovern after Tarawi Licorice had got up in the last stride to nose Square Up out of a 520m fifth grade on Saturday night in 29.82.
"Billy served his apprenticeship working for Wagga trainer Peter Sims and he would have learned a lot from him,'' Atchison said.
"And he has done a fantastic job with Tarawi Licorice, who has now had two wins and six placings from 10 Wentworth Park starts.''
My Pharaoh, who took out the 2024 Young Star final at Wentworth Park in 29.96, recorded his fastest Wentworth Park figures of 29.53 when he led all the way in a 520m fifth grade on Saturday, taking his tally at headquarters to seven wins and nine placings from 28 appearances.
But although it was the final event on the card, the highlight of Saturday's fixture arguably was the remarkable all-the-way win by the veteran Father Rick, who is just a month away from becoming a six-year-old.
The Ray Webster-trained dog began brilliantly from box eight and posted slick early splits before completing the 520m trip in 29.75, a mere .13sec outside his fastest Wentworth Park figures, posted in May, 2024.
