Victoria’s Mugavin family has been winning group races with offspring of their foundation bitch Val Matese for 50 years but none to come close to the $1 million windfall collected by McInerney in Saturday night's final of the TAB Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park.
Raced by retired school teacher Noel Mugavin, whose brother Kevin and late sister Mary have also successfully owned descendants of Val Matese, McInerney came from second on the first turn to sweep around tearaway leader He's On Fire leaving the back straight.
McInerney then held off a late charge by the John Finn-trained Zipping Kyrgios to win the fifth running of the world's richest greyhound race by a head in 29.50.
He's On Fire held on courageously for a gallant third, just over two lengths away, in time that was .18sec outside the race record set by She's A Pearl earlier this year.
McInerney, trained at Lara, north-east of Geelong, by Brendan Pursell, is not considered a quick beginner but jumped smartly courtesy of box one and despite running wide at the first turn, looked all over a winner when he settled in a clear second spot behind He's On Fire.
When McInerney ran off on the first bend he inconvenienced French Martini, who had come from box seven and was in third position at that point.
McInerney's win made up for Noel Mugavin's disappointment when Benali, a half brother to Saturday night's winner, missed qualifying for the 2018 Million Dollar Chase after a close second in Poke The Bear's semi-final.
Brendan Pursell, trainer of McInerney, was a successful harness racing driver in Tasmania before relocating to Victoria to become a greyhound trainer.
But he insisted his son Blake, now a greyhound trainer in Tasmania, come to Wentworth Park on Saturday night to take McInerney to the starting boxes, believing the dog tended to begin better when he handled the dog.
Zipping Kygrios' trainers John and Minnie Finn had some consolation earlier on Saturday night when their sensational youngster Zipping Orlando maintained his unbeaten record with a clever win in the final of the GRNSW Young Star Series.
It was Zipping Orlando's eighth win in as many starts and after the race Minnie Finn said: "John and I have not had a dog with such track sense.
"Whenever Zipping Orlando looks as if he is going to be in trouble he always seems to find a way out of it.
"As a young dog starting out, when he was trialling over 300m, he was nothing flash, but once we stepped him up to 520m we knew he was something special.''
Australia's top stayer Super Estrella, who ran a Wentworth Park 720m record of 41.21 on September 3, made a one act affair of Saturday night's Sydney Cup, leading throughout in 41.58.
Although well outside her course record figures Super Estrella's time on Saturday shaved .10sec off the race record set by John and Minnie Finn's Poco Dorado in 2018.
Fire Legend, who almost missed the series through a minor injury, led all the way in Saturday's $100,000 to the winner Masters Meteor final.
It was Fire Legend's 12th win from his past 13 starts and lifted his earnings to nearly $354,000 with 52 victories in 115 races.
After Saturday's race trainer Mark Moroney said: "He got hurt not long before he led and finished third in the previous Masters Meteor final and when he picked up a little injury before last week's heats I almost scratched him.''
Zipping Maserati proved himself the "consolation king" by leading throughout in Saturday's Million Dollar Chase Consolation final, after winning the same race on MDC night on May 7.
Hot favourite Canya Smoke Them gave owner Mark "Duke" Duclos and trainer Andy Lord a unique double when he bolted away with Saturday night's MDC Maiden Final.
They had combined to win the corresponding race at the May 7 Million Dollar Chase fixture with We Don't Share.
