She was the youngest greyhound racing at Wentworth Park on Saturday night but Hope Keeping went home the fastest 520m winner on the card after leading throughout in a brilliant 29.90.
Just 19 months old, Hope Keeping, owned and trained at Dubbo by Charmaine Roberts, set up a clear early lead and hung on determinedly to win by a half length from the George Borg-trained Dawn Juan.
After the race Roberts' partner Shayne Stiff, who handled Hope Keeping, said: "Charmaine has always had a big opinion of this greyhound.
"When she was 17 months old Charmaine took her to Gunnedah and she broke the track record and she has since been trialling faster than our top notchers such as Caitlyn Keeping.
"We trialled Hope Keeping at Wentworth Park on Tuesday and she clocked a first split of 5.50 but reduced that to 5.45 tonight which was encouraging.''
Training honours were with Mark Gatt, who landed a winning double with Vouchers and Ritza Gloria but still had a mixed night.
Vouchers won a 520m fourth and fifth grade in the slow time of 30.70 but it was Gatt's other runner, Rita's Boy, who looked all over a winner in the race until he broke down after hitting the front near the home turn.
Rita's Boy is unlikely to race again but Gatt's up-and-coming youngster Ritza Gloria won a 520m fifth grade in 30.13, although runner-up Royal Emgrand was a certainty beaten after being checked twice when in a winning position.
Trainer Jason Magri, who has been regularly winning doubles at Wentworth Park, missed that honour on Saturday but did land the quinella in a 520m fifth grade when Rampaging Hazard defeated his city newcomer Zipping Ivy in 30.09.
Rampaging Hazard led throughout but Zipping Ivy's run was full of merit as she bungled the start and had to work hard to be trailing her kennelmate going around the first turn.
"He is not the dog he was six months ago but he is still going pretty good,'' said John Richardson after his wife Judith's dog Sunburnt Highway notched his 13th Wentworth Park win on Saturday night.
Having his 88th start, Sunburnt Highway led throughout from box one to score in 30.02, lifting his prizemoney to over $108,000.
"I had been working hard on his box manners leading up to this race and he won the race at the start, by jumping quickly and being able to hold out the runner-up, Melissa's Charm, for the lead at the first turn,'' Richardson said.
Sunburnt Highway turns four in August but while it seems he can no longer match his personal best Wentworth Park time of 29.79, the dog remains competitive at all but the very highest level.
My Bro Bruno, having his first start in two months, came from fourth at the top of the straight to score his second win in 25 Wentworth Park appearances on Saturday night.
Trained by Tom Halley, My Bro Bruno had been placed in nine of his 24 previous Wenty outings but won running away on Saturday in the moderate time of 30.44.
"He had torn a pin muscle at his previous race, at Gosford on December 24,'' Halley said later.
"But I trialled My Bro Bruno at The Gardens last week and when he clocked 29.80 for the 515m I decided to enter him for Wentworth Park.
"I figured that if I put him back in at The Gardens he would be in a fourth and fifth grade and would probably have to run 29.50 to win.
"So I came to Wenty and got a good result.''
