Zipping Ariel, who was first thought to have broken a hock when she failed to complete the course in a Golden Easter Egg heat on March 28, completed a remarkable return to win Saturday night's group 3 Ladies Bracelet final at Wentworth Park.
After trailing pacemaker Elsa Above to near the home bend, Zipping Ariel grabbed the lead at the top of the straight and came away to win by four lengths from Foxtrot Ethics.
Zipping Kayli, a kennelmate of the Courtney Barnes-trained winner, flashed home to be a half head away third.
Zipping Ariel's time of 29.63 was not far off the race record of 29.44, shared by 2014 winner Zipping Willow and the 2021 victory Pay Call.
Courtney Barnes' mother-in-law, leading trainer Minnie Finn, said: "After Zipping Ariel's Easter Egg heat it was first thought she had broken a hock but that was not the case.
"So she had a few weeks off and after trialling 29.60 over 520m at Richmond, Courtney knew she was ready again and she finished strongly when third to Elsa Above in her Bracelet heat.''
Minnie Finn has pulled back from the training side of the sport to concentrate on the breeding facet of the industry but her son Todd Barnes and his wife Courtney are taking up where she has left off.
Finn still has a strong team in her kennels and won Saturday's Masters race with Both Bowers Ace, who notched his 33rd win in 138 appearances.
Courtney Barnes not only landed first and third prizemoney in Saturday night's Bracelet final, but husband Todd landed a winning treble.
Todd Barnes, proprietor of a large plumbing business which has a dozen employees, won on Saturday with litter sisters Money Keeping in 29.55 and Pound Keeping in 29.63 along with Not Our Fault in 30.33.
Not Our Fault, a litter brother to Newcastle Cup winner Vodka And Ice, has joined Barnes' kennels after beginning his career in Victoria.
Taw Major, who won the last race ever held at Dapto, took out Saturday night's other group 3 final, the Bob Payne Sprint, for Deborah and Andrew Rowe.
Red Rock Razzle led to the home turn from Taw Major and Classic Ethics, with Taw Major hitting the front soon after and then being joined by Classic Ethics.
The Peter Rodgers-trained Classic Ethics looked set to win a few strides from the finish but Taw Major "kicked" on the line to score by a half head, with Red Rock Razzle a neck away third.
Taw Major stopped the clock at 29.61, which compared well with Zipping Megatron's 2024 race record of 29.55.
After the race Andrew Rowe, who also finished fourth in the Bob Payne with the winner's litter brother Taw Galaxy, said: "It's such an honour to win a race like the Bob Payne.
"It is an iconic event and to win on it at Wentworth Park, which is such an historic venue, has me feeling absolutely blessed.
"Taw Galaxy is actually a fraction quicker than Taw Major but while he is inclined to be over-the-top, Taw Major is more relaxed and calm all the time.''
O'Keefe, who was a late scratching from a heat of the Golden Easter Egg on March 28 due to weight variation, recorded his personal best Wentworth Park 520m time of 29.55 with an easy win in a fourth and fifth grade on Saturday night.
O'Keefe's trainer Ray Webster said: "He was scratched from his Easter Egg heat when he weighed in light, and it seems to have been caused by some sort of a bug.
"But I got that sorted out and he has come back better than ever.
"O'Keefe certainly likes Wentworth Park, where he has had five wins and three seconds from a dozen starts, but I might give him a start or two on a one turn track to give him a change of scenery.''
Nowra Puppy Classic winner See This notched his sixth Wentworth Park win for trainer Kristy Sultana with a 29.69 fifth grade victory on Saturday while Baby Face Bandit, still virtually a puppy at just over 18 months of age, led throughout in a similar class in 29.77.
Baby Face Bandit is trained by Jodie Lord, who provided Saturday night's fastest 520m winner when Fearless Bandit won a fifth grade in 29.45.
