Eligible greyhounds must have been domiciled in NSW for at least 76 of 150 days immediately preceding 5/8/2024. Trainers MUST nominate directly into the event to be considered. Greyhounds will be graded as per City Class.
Prize money: $12000 / $2100 / $1600
Greyhound Clubs Australia conduct the National Sprint and Distance Championships annually. State heats and Finals are staged in each State. The venue for Grand Finals is rotated around the country, with Perth hosting the 2019 Nationals. Unfortunately the National finals had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19
The NSW Distance Championship is held annually at Wentworth Park, and naturally, considering the prestige of the event, it has produced some smart winners over the years.
Some of the previous winners of the event are: Dottie Wilson (1975), Ibrox Park (1997), and Smart Valentino (2013).
A year after her sister Poco Dorado won the NSW Distance Championship Final, Veloce Nero repeated the dose in 2019, defeating Kanzan, and another Veloce Nero sibling Blue Moon Rising. Fourth was Poco Dorado, with 2017 NSW winner Ebby Ripper fifth.
Twelve months on and it was the family winning again, this time with Blue Moon Rising completing the treble by defeating El Rapido and Pearl Of Tahiti to take the title.
Due to restrictions as a result of COVID-19, the NSW National Distance Championship was run at Dapto, and the win went to David Smith's promising stayer Super Estrella.
Smith had said from the very early days of her career that she would be better over distance and while she had been running some fast times over the middle distance trips, this was Super Estrella's first foray over the 700m, and she had no problems, scoring an impressive win to claim the State title.
It was back to back NSW Distance titles for the flying stayer Super Estrella in 2022.
She had become the in form stayer in the State and she showed that in the NSW Final, scoring an emphatic all the way win over Zipping Kansas to qualify for the National final.
Super Estrella flanked by placegetters Zipping Kansas and Stagger Out Lee
Super Estrella was a dominant winner in the 2022 edition of the race
The John and Minnie Finn-prepared Zipping Vanessa claimed an impressive victory in the 2023 race after jumping well and running her opponents into the ground.
The daughter of Feral Franky lowered her previous track and trip PB to 41.61 and made it win number nine at start 17 to assert herself as a rising star of the distance caper.
Zipping Vanessa claimed the NSW National Distance final by 6.75 lengths
NSW National Distance winner Zipping Vanessa with handler Kayla-Jane Coleman
