In 2022, and after qualifying races at South Australia's Murray Bridge, Queensland's Capalaba, Victoria's Healesville and finally NSW's Richmond, the qualifiers headed to Sydney for the final for the National Straight Track Championship up the Richmond Straight.

And on the day when NSW hosted the National Sprint and Distance titles as well, the home state drew first blood with an emphatic win by the brilliant speedster Mr America in the National Straight Track Championship.

The win took his remarkable record at the venue to 14 wins from 18 starts with two runner-up placings, and the time of 17.41s was just 0.01s outside his best and 0.09s outside the track record.

Second place went to Queenslander Milligan two lengths behind the winner, with South Australian representative He’s On Fire - who would go on to run third in the Million Dollar Chase a month later - finishing third, a further ¾ length away. Sultana’s other finalist. Extra Specialism, who defeated his kennelmate in the NSW title seven days earlier, was gallant in finishing fourth.

The win in the $25,000 final completes a double for Mr America and Sultana having last month headed to Queensland where he won the TAB Straight Of Origin Series at Capalaba. 

For owner George Kairouz, the national straight track championship came 41 years after his mother-in-law Sylvia and late father-in-law John Attard, took out the title with a dog called Sharp Bianca.