Sunburnt Highway, the veteran of the field at more than five years old, upset TAB Million Dollar Chase winner Good Odds Harada to take out Saturday night's Dapto feature event, the 520m Sportsbet Masters Stakes.
Sunburnt Highway led throughout and took his prizemoney to just on $300,000 after being Chased all the way by Good Odds Harada and prevailing by nearly three lengths at the finish.
There was certainly no fluke about the win as the Judith Richardson trained Sunburnt Highway covered the 520m on a wet track in a fast 29.81.
Only greyhound to go quicker on Saturday was Tachycardic, who led all the way for trainer Kayla-Jane COLEMAN in a 520m fifth grade in 29.79.
Tachycardic led throughout from box one to win by 10 lengths and while he was racing for the first time at Dapto, COLEMAN's partner Shaun Evans had said before the race: "He had plenty of trials there when he was unraced and he handles the track well.''
Another 520m fifth grade winner to impress was Marvin's Girl, who also wore the red rug for an all the way win in 29.90.
After her win trainer Garry Edwards said: "Marvin's Girl had not previously raced at Dapto but when she was being broken in she trialled there so she knew her way around the track.
"She has now had 16 starts for seven wins and seven placings and one of her only two unplaced runs was when she fell at Wentworth Park.
"Marvin's Girl is no world beater but she has good early pace and is a handy bitch.''
Fox Key prevented the Shaun Evans/Kayla-Jane COLEMAN combination landing a double when he ran down their dog Rockstar Newbold to win a 520m fifth grade in 30.14.
At his previous start, over 525m at Wagga on August 27, Fox Key had run off the track when third from box one.
After Saturday night's race Patrick Mulrine, whose mother Kim trains Fox Key, said: "He had seen Wagga only once and obviously he got a bit lost when he raced there.
"But Dapto is his best track and he has got under 29.80 in a 520m trial there and has run 17sec to the back straight which is flying.
"My family has trained dogs for Jarrad Dale, who shares ownership of Fox Key with us, for many, many years and he raced this dog's dam Sapphire Madam.''
Trainer Ashley Dwyer was not surprised by Runaway Joe's win from box eight in 30.21 on Saturday, even though each of the dog's four previous victories had been from box one.
"He won those races despite the draw, not because of it, because Runaway Joe is real box eight bandit,'' Dwyer said.
"At the same time Notified, who had box seven tonight, is probably a faster greyhound but she could not get across to the rails at the first turn and was checked, giving Runaway Joe a lovely run down the outside.''
Dwyer rates Runaway Joe's litter brother and kennelmate Special Blend as superior but that greyhound had to be content with second placing behind the Andrew Bell-trained Ritza Tommy in a 520m fourth grade.
Cop Magnet, also trained by Bell, led early but Ritza Tommy, a relatively new addition to Bell's large team, swept to the lead in the middle stages and won by two lengths from the strong finishing Special Blend, stopping the clock at a slick 29.90.
Trainer Neville Brown was not getting carried away despite his greyhound Aim For Aria beginning brilliantly and winning Saturday's 520m Maiden at her first start in a race.
"She is only steady, she took 30.57 to win,'' Brown said candidly.
"Before this race she had one post-to-post slip at Dapto and she went steady in that hit-out too which is why I didn't back her tonight.''
Saturday's 729m event was taken out by Kylie Keeping, who showed great tenacity to defeat Zipping Nebraska for the second time in six days.
Kylie Keeping incurred the displeasure of the Wentworth Park stewards after racing erratically in November, and after being banned for that performance, rookie trainer Anthony Dawson was able to buy her for a modest price.
Her win on Saturday took her earnings for Dawson, a former harness racing trainer, to $35,000 from six wins.
Training honours at Dapto went to Ritza Tommy's trainer Andrew Bell, who completed a double by taking out the final event, 297m Free-For-All, with Sizzle Fly.
