As the 2026 season kicks off, here are ten NSW greyhounds to keep an eye on over the next 12-months.
Zipping Xaden | Minnie Finn
Is he the most exciting, emerging middle-distance dog in the country right now?
He began his career in the Zoom Top Maiden series at Goulburn over 440m back in July and although he ran a luckless eight in the final, the way he finished off his heat indicated his best was always going to be over further.
Form there, he won a group of races on his home track at Richmond over 520m (29.39 PB) before producing a stunning 29.45 victory at Wenty Park in the City Qualifiers of the MDC.
He returned to Goulburn to run second in their Cup in October, before stepping up in trip again to 600m racing where he’s won five of six middle distance starts, broken two records at Nowra and come within half a length of the record at Richmond.
He’ll go around in the rich Golden Sands (600m) series at The Q next week under the eye of Michelle Sultana and is following an eerily similar path to another former Finn runner in Zipping Orlando. He began his career in the Zoom Top Maiden before going on to win The Ladbrokes 715 and Association Cup over 720m.
A son of Tommy Shelby x Princess Kiwi, Winsome Jet burst onto the scene in August of 2025 with five straight wins to begin his career. He was thrown into the deep end not long after with a third-place finish in the MDC City Qualifier earning him a spot in the semi-final fields of the world’s richest race series.
He was far from disgraced in that field as well, running third to Smooth Plane in 29.79 in just his seventh career start. He’s since won in 29.20 at Nowra, made the Group 1 Paul Wheeler final and qualified fastest for the age-restricted QLD Derby at The Q.
Sadly for NSW chasing fans, it looks like Team Finn will leave him in Queensland to chase the Gold Bullion instead of coming back to tackle the National Derby at Wenty Park.
Winsome Jet's litter has already won 54 races at a 35.3% strike rate
Fleeing | Jodie Lord
The Lord kennel could have half a dozen dogs on this list with pups out of She’s A Pearl, Bandit Jane and Coast Model all making their presence felt around the state at the moment.
But this son of Tommy Shelby x Just Terms could be one out of the box according to Andy Lord.
Fleeing debuted on December 19 over 440m at Goulburn, winning in a BOD 24.32 by 8.75 lengths. To put that run into context, the winner of the Zoom Top Maiden final last August (another Lord runner in Classy Bandit) ran 24.53. Joey The Jet owns the Zoom Top Maiden race record of 24.30 (set in 2024) and he went onto to run second in a Melbourne Cup final later that year.
Fleeing has since won his second start at Goulburn in 24.37 and if he can extend his brilliance to 500...he could be anything.
Another young greyhound Andy Lord loves and he might be starting to live up to the hype.
Still only very lightly raced with 13 career outings for six wins and two minors but his last couple of starts down in Melbourne under Jason Thompson have been notable.
Consigliere won by a space at Sandown on December 29 in 29.36 with that run coming off the back of another dominant performance at The Meadows a week earlier in 29.87.
He’s being steered towards the National Derby at Wentworth Park in the next few weeks where Clover Park Racing will be hoping he can reproduce his 29.47 PB from November last year.
Zipper On Time barely put a paw wrong to open her career in 2025 with 15 race starts resulting in 12 wins and two minors for the Howard family.
She picked up the rich Young Star series through the MDC carnival here in NSW before heading to Melbourne and winning the Group 2 Laurels final under the eye of Jason Thompson.
She was half a length off running in a Melbourne Cup decider in November before a slight ligament issue cost her the final racing month of the year. She’s on the mend though and all things going well, will be booked on a place back to NSW for the National Futurity heats in January.
Her blinding early pace and stellar Wenty Park record (unbeaten in eight starts with a PB of 29.45) will see her start a prohibitive favourite for the first NSW Group 1 of the year, as long as she has a clean bill of health.
Zipper On Time after winning the Young Star final in October
Magpie Hector | Jack Smith
The only stayer on the list and that status is still a work in progress for Magpie Hector who has only had four goes over 700 so far in his 23 race starts.
He was dreadfully unlucky in the Group 3 Christmas Cheer final at Wenty Park two weeks ago, running into rump several times on his way to finishing second behind Suribachi in 42.22. His PB at track and trip of 41.71 is good enough to win some decent races and he’s still scratching the surface of what he can achieve over the distance.
The son of Feral Franky x Foxy Bourbski is already a Group 1 finalist over 600m and looks ready to tackle a massive summer program up in QLD headlined by the Gold Cup before hopefully returning to NSW to chase the Group 1 Association Cup and Ladbrokes 715.
The reigning National Sprint champion had a year to remember in 2025 with 16 wins from 23 starts to go with a track record-equalling performance at Wentworth Park (29.04).
After that breakthrough victory Group 1 victory at The Q back in August, he only raced five more times for Steve Fitch to round out the year - adding a win in the Million Dollar Chase Consolation and a fifth-placed finish in the Phoenix despite starting as favourite for the million dollar feature.
‘Jack’ doesn’t turn three until July and looks primed for a crack at some big races in Queensland over the Summer before launching into the Golden Easter Egg series in April.
Another Group 1 winner for Steve Fitch in 2025 courtesy of her triumph in the last ever Dapto Megastar final.
It’s hard to believe Eriza Sparkles has more career earnings than Cumbria Jack (and from five less starts) but she was immense last year with a runner-up finish in the Topgun Sprint as well as final appearances in the Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal and Phoenix deciders.
Doesn’t have the absolute superstar qualities of her kennelmate but she won’t hit three until October and could have another monstrous year.
2025 was a year to savour for the Gatt family and owner John Maroun.
‘Johnny’ won the Country Classic at Dubbo, ran second Group 1 National Derby and Golden Easter Egg finals, became the first dog in history to break the 29 second mark in a record breaking effort at Nowra (28.98), while also running fourth in both in the Nowra Puppy Classic and Topgun Sprint deciders.
He’s already started 2026 with aplomb, running a BON 29.21 in the heats of the Gosford Cup and will be mighty hard to beat from Box 1 in the $40,000 final on Saturday night.
If she’s not a nominee for Greyhound of the Year for her 2025 season, I’ll eat my hat.
What a year it was for Charmaine Roberts and Shayne Stiff with ‘Sooty’ winning a whopping 21 races and taking her career earnings to over $460,000.
Not only did she win both the Group 1 Paul Wheeler and the first ever Group 1 run at The Q – the Flying Amy Classic, but she ran in an incredible 12 group finals.
Sooty Keeping won the Group 2 Richmond Oaks, the Group 3 Nowra Puppy Classic and made the podium in the Temora Cup, Brother Fox and State Of Origin.
She only turns three next week and although she is in the best form of her life, she is arguably the most valuable brood bitch in the country so it will interesting to see just how long she races on in 2026.
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