Before she was named, trainer David Smith made it clear to owner Michael Jones that this particular bitch was a good one.
“I said to the owner you’ve got a superstar here so you had better come up with a good name,” Smith told Jones. He came up with Super Estrella. In Spanish that translates to Super Star. “It’s a great name, it suits her perfectly. She’s a superstar to me.”
She proved it on Thursday night at Wentworth Park with a blistering performance to claim the NSW State Distance Championship final with a near track record run, and she now has the opportunity to win the National title she didn’t get the chance to win last year.
Like so many things in our recent past Covid thwarted the National titles in 2021, meaning that while Super Estrella won the NSW title at Dapto, she never got to contest a National final.
She gets the chance this time around, on her home track at Wentworth Park, and judging by her performance on Thursday, she will start favourite on August 27.
With the outstanding Zipping Kansas chasing, Super Estrella just kept going, clocking a remarkable 41.46s, just a length slower than the track record set back in April 2019 by another superstar, Tornado Tears at 41.38s.
“It’s very exciting. I couldn’t be happier,” said Smith. “She is getting stronger and stronger so I had full faith in the dog that she could do it.
“Look you always worry (with a dog like Zipping Kansas chasing) but I knew the dog was really well this morning and I have a lot of faith in her and once she was that far clear … six months ago she was getting run down but now she’s finding the line much better.”
Thursday’s win was Super Estrella’s 28th from 65 starts. She has been placed in Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3 finals and having appeared in double digit Group finals, she deserves to get that Group 1 on August 27.
Queensland’s representative in the final will be the dazzling Days Of Thunder who had her supporters feeling very nervous before producing her trademark thundering finish to grab the early leader Sunburst near the line.
The Group 1 Queensland Cup winner was giving the leaders the best part 15 lengths heading up the back, but she knuckled down and swinging for home had both Sunburst and Oh Oh Range in her sights.
She rounded them up and scored by 1¼ lengths in 41.99s.
It was another come from behind performance in the Victorian Distance Final when Moraine Suzie came from well back in the field, circled her opponents, and then raced away for an empathic 5½ length win in 41.47s
While Gypsy Wyong could only manage 5th in the final, she will get a start in the National Final as a wildcard being the highest ranked stayer in the State finals not to qualify by winning.
In South Australia the favourite Fantastic Radley was the winner of their state final, also giving his supporters a few scares as he took his time to overhaul the leader Victa Haydn, winning eventually by ¾ length in 42.63s.
Just four runners faced the starter in the final of the Tasmanian State Distance final, and it was an upset with odds-on favourite Dashing Pippa missing a place behind Highland Wonder who led throughout in 42.88s.
In New Zealand at Addington, classy chaser Know Keeper whose career stats now stand at 67 starts for 35 wins and 20 placings, took out their final to book his place in Sydney.
Just 12 months ago before he stepped up to distance racing, Know Keeper won the NZ Sprint Championship final.
The final finalist was the winner of the West Australian Distance final Tsar Bell who took out the West’s title at Cannington, like some of the other winners coming from a long way back, weaving his way through the field and grabbing the leader near the post.
