"A month ago she had just come back from a seasonal spell and was sitting in a spelling paddock with a fat belly but now she has won a group one,'' exclaimed trainer Barry Gibbons after Lilly Banner scored a hollow victory in Saturday night's Ladbrokes Peter Mosman Opal at Wentworth Park.
"But she is a real professional and stepped up when it mattered tonight, nailing the start perfectly.''
Lilly Banner clocked sizzling early splits of 5.39s and 13.75s en route to her slick 29.75s win, defeating Cumbria Ninno by more than eight lengths, with Memories One a nose away third.
Gibbons, who is a cousin of prolific group race winning trainer Jason MACKAY, said later: "I bred Lilly Banner from my bitch Elleni Banner and also whelped her, so that involvement makes taking out a race like this something extra special.''
Playlist, the "second stringer'' of Victorian trainer Matt Clark's finalists in Saturday's group 1 Ladbrokes Vic Peters Classic, made full use of box one to lead throughout as a $12 outsider.
Playlist jumped in front and moved wide at the first turn, colliding with his kennelmate and litter brother Catch The Thief and then skipping away with a winning break.
Playlist had no trouble holding on to win by nearly four lengths in 29.96s, with favourite Tommy Shelby, who bungled the start, edging out $101 chance Simply Smudge by a half length for second prize.
Tommy Shelby, who began brilliantly to win his heat in 29.44, surprisingly speared off the track at the first turn, giving slow beginner Zipping Zeek a rails run.
But on the back straight Zipping Zeek checked off Simply Smudge, who was running second, and then appeared to be clipped from behind by Ebby Jet Power.
Zipping Zeek, a noted strong finisher, ran up the track when this occurred and his prospects were ruined.
Although Playlist went into the race as as the "poor relation'' to his litter brother and kennelmate Catch The Thief, trainer Matt Clark said: "There is nothing between them and if I were to trial them together, Playlist might beat Catch The Thief one day, while the placings could be reversed the next.''
Trainers Mark Gatt and Michelle Sultana, who have been in stunning form in recent weeks, again stole the honours at Wentworth Park on Saturday, with each winning a double.
Sydney's most consistent greyhound Unison, who has now registered nine wins and three seconds from his past dozen starts, went home with fastest time of the night after recording 29.72s in a 520m fifth grade.
Hobby trainer-breeder Steve Fitch took home just over $16,000 when his first group one finalist Cumbria Ninno chased home Lilly Banner in the Peter Mosman Opal, and picked up another $5000 when her litter brother Cumbria Lad won a 520m fifth grade.
"I was disappointed Cumbria Lad missed qualifying for the Vic Peters final because when he finished fourth in his heat, he clocked 29.80s, yet another heat was won in 29.90,'' Fitch said.
Unusually for crack trainer Jason MACKAY, he did not have a finalist in either of Saturday's group one races, but he took out a 520m non-graded heat with Aston Lee, who led all the way in 29.81s.
Aston Lee, handled by MACKAY's 15-year-old daughter April, was chased from start to finish by Mark Gatt's pair Ritza Gloria and Beau Herrera, both regarded as strong finishers.
"When I saw Mark's pair sitting on Aston Lee's hammer I thought we were gone,'' AprilMACKAY said later.
"But Aston Lee got to the line really well so seems to be getting better all the time.
"When he led all the way at Wentworth Park in 29.80s on June 27 he ran home in 11.96s, but he finished it off in 11.86s tonight, that was the difference.''
