Zipping Xaden smashed his own Nowra 630m record when he easily won the GRNSW Christmas Gift on Thursday night and will now head to Brisbane for heats of the 600m Golden Sands at The Q Parklands on January 8.
Zipping Xaden has now won his past four starts, over 622m and 630m, by a mind-boggling total of 35 lengths, and must rank as early favourite for the $100,000 to the winner Golden Sands final on January 15.
While many fans are salivating at seeing Zipping Xaden tested over 720m at Wentworth Park, trainer Minnie Finn is unsure whether he can become a true stayer.
Finn, who trained great long-distance performers like Poco Dorado, Veloce Nero and Blue Moon Rising in recent years, said: "Zipping Xaden's owner Marty Hallinan is anxious to see him racing over 720m but I'm not sure about him running it out, at least not yet.
"Zipping Xaden is has been fairly exhausted after his recent quartet of middle distance wins because he is such a hard chaser.
"Earlier in his career he was coming out of the boxes very slowly but his box manners have improved a bit so he is settling down as he gets older."
"But he is only 23 months old and there's plenty of time for him to go over 720m.
"His half-brother Zipping Orlando, who won the 2023 The 715 at The Gardens also ran 41.53 over 720m at Wenty and 42.01 over 715m at Sandown, but before that, when he was contesting middle distance races, he was pulling up better than Zipping Xaden is doing at this stage.
"Zipping Xaden has now broken the Nowra 630m record twice and was unlucky not to break the Richmond 622m record when he won in 35.13 on December 12."
"The record is 35.09 and Zipping Xaden got a little check soon after the start which probably cost him the record.
"I'll now head to Brisbane to give Zipping Xaden a trial at The Q Parklands to get him ready for the Golden Sands heats.''
If Zipping Xaden can take out the January 15 Golden Sands final he will complete a hat-trick for NSW-trained greyhounds.
Nangar Gypsy, trained by Dennis Barnes at Orange, won the 2025 final, run at Albion Park, while the evergreen Father Rick was successful at the same track in 2024 for Camden trainer Ray Webster.
