Sydney's most improved greyhound Modus Operandi scored his 10th win from his past 20 starts for new trainer Rob Tyler when he ran down speedy Queenslander Femme Folle to win Saturday night's Group 3 Ladbrokes Christmas Gift at Wentworth Park.
Despite bumping Nangar Blaze rounding the first bend, Modus Operandi gave Femme Folle a big start on the back straight and finished determinedly in the straight to beat her by a length, with Nangar Blaze just over three lengths away in third spot.
Modus Operandi covered the 520m in a tidy 30.02sec, fastest Christmas Gift figures since the Ruth Matic-trained Black Bear Lee was successful in 29.84 in 2015.
After the race Modus Operandi's trainer Rob Tyler said: "I figured that whoever was closest to the lead out of my dog and Nangar Blaze leaving the first bend would be the one to beat.
"But I will admit I wasn't sure whether Modus Operandi could run down Femme Folle when she zipped away with a clear break in the early stages.''
Fastest 520m time on Saturday night was posted by the Sam Sultana-trained Motor City Gem, who scored in 29.94sec and ended a sequence of three placings from three Wentworth Park outings by scoring her sixth win in 12 appearances in a fifth grade event.
Motor City Gem overcame a moderate getaway to be second on the back straight before pouncing on the lead on the home bend.
Rita's Boy notched a remarkable 14th Wentworth Park win in Saturday night's Free-For-All, with the Mark Gatt-trained dog recording 29.96sec for the 520m and lifting his earnings to $102,000.
A maiden win at Coonamble in September was the turning point in the career of Bugatti Chiron, who led all the way to upset odds-on favourite Zipping Falcon in a 520m fifth grade on Saturday night.
After Bugatti Chiron led all the way, Mark Knowles, whose partner Jacqueline Davis trains the winner, said: "Buggati Chiron was missing the start and doing everything wrong early in her career.
"When Jacqui took her to Coonamble in September there was no pre-race stir-up available and Bugatti Chiron jumped in front and led throughout.
"From that day on Jacqui has not given Bugatti Chiron a pre-race stir-up, and for the most part she has jumped cleanly ever since.
"The stir-up was obviously getting Bugatti Chiron too excited and causing her to miss the kick.''
Yankee's Ethics, the "outsider'' of owner David Smith's two runners in Saturday night's 720m race, caused a surprise by coming from third early and second on the back straight to win clearly in a tidy 42.32sec.
The more fancied White Sox Ethics, trained by Peter Mantach for Smith, who trains Yankee's Ethics, made the pace and looked all over a winner in running but faded to finish third, just over two lengths from the winner.
"There is nothing between Yankee's Ethics and White Sox Ethics,'' David Smith said later.
"Until tonight Yankee's Ethics had the edge over middle distances while White Sox Ethics has probably been slightly better over 700 metres.
"But Yankee's Ethics was only having his fourth 700m race in a month tonight because he has been unable to secure a draw.
"Because I had nominated him several times at the provincials since he last raced on December 1, I was forced to trial him over 720m at Wentworth Park last week after the final race and he clocked 42.59sec, so his win tonight did not really surprise me.''
