As Winsome Jet charged to victory in the QLD Derby on Thursday evening, owner Minnie Finn was doing something she doesn’t normally do.
“I was relaxing on holiday,” Finn laughed from Sussex Inlet on the NSW South Coast.
“Courtney [Barnes] spent a few weeks down here and when she got back on Wednesday, she said I should do the same thing. So, after we raced at Nowra on Thursday, I packed my swimmers and drove down.”
“I went out prawning until 1am and now I’m fishing for flathead. It’s the first time in a while I’ve got out of bed not to the dogs, but to the water instead.”
The loveable larrikin in a jovial mood after her latest sprinting star scorched his way to a dominant 3.25 length triumph in the Group 2 event at The Q.
“He went awesome. I told you he was good when I threw him in the deep end during the Million Dollar Chase,” Finn added.
“He was just a baby when he made the semi-finals of that and now, he's coming into his own...not bad for a pup I bought off greyhound data for $5000.”
A familiar face guiding the youngster to the $75,000 prize in Finn’s absence.
“I sent him and some of our other dogs up to Michelle [Sultana] and Darryl [Thomas] a few weeks ago and it’s worked perfectly,” Finn added.
Michelle Sultana and Darryl Thomas with QLD Derby winner, Winsome Jet. Photo: Box 1 Photography
“With Courtney on holiday, it was always going to be tough for me to get up to Queensland to race.”
“I knew Michelle had just moved up there, so I called them and asked if they had any room. Once they said they did, I rang Marty [Hallinan] and he had no issue sending Zipping Xaden and Zipping Ariel up and we sent Winsome Jet and Winsome Rambo.”
Zipping Ariel also managing a third-placed finish the Group 2 Bogie Leigh Futurity, while Zipping Xaden won a heat of the Group 1 Golden Sands (600m) to qualify for next week’s $100,000 decider.
Zipping Xaden is in flying form after winning six races on the trot. Photo: Box 1 Photography
Sultana admitting life in the Sunshine State couldn’t have started much better.
“We’re so happy with how things have kicked off up here and we’re very lucky to have these dogs in our kennel,” Sultana said.
“Winsome Jet’s win was amazing and he’s shown Minnie a lot of potential from the word go, he just needed to get some race experience under his belt. That was his third look at The Q last night and he’s settled in really well.
“And Zipping Xaden is a freak. He’s a big, gangly dog and he’s got the biggest motor. He seems to find his own luck weaving in and around the pack and you saw him last night go from last to first and he still won by three.”
“If he can come out of Box 6 a little bit better in the final, it will be good to see what he can really do up here. We haven’t come up against Jaywalker [600m track record holder at The Q] yet but if he leads from Box 7, we might get the fly up behind him and that will be a good race to watch.”
Finn confirming Winsome Jet will remain in QLD for the foreseeable future and not return to NSW for the National Derby heats on January 17.
“He’ll aim for the Group 2 Golden Ticket, if he gets a run, and Group 1 Gold Bullion,” Finn added.
“And Zipping Xaden will run in the Golden Sands and then probably head to the staying race [the Group 1 QLD Cup over 710m]. He’s a better dog than Zipping Orlando who won close to $850,000 in prizemoney, so I’m excited to see what he can do over 700.”
Zipping Xaden is already a Nowra track record holder, as well as a G3 Goulburn Cup and Zoom Top Maiden runner-up. Photo: Box 1 Photography
