When Jimmy The Singer swept around the two pacemakers entering the back straight to bolt away with a heat of the Good Odds Harada Cup at Wentworth Park on Saturday night the cheers extended from the Queensland Gold Coast to Leeds in the north of England.
Trained at Palm Beach, Queensland by Corey Mutton, Jimmy The Singer is owned by his trainer along with his pal Tony McGrath, a bricklayer living in Leeds.
"Tony watched the race and was on the phone to me not long after the dogs reached the catching pen,'' Corey Mutton said.
Also urging Jimmy The Singer to the winning post was Mutton's 12-year-old daughter Elizabeth, who is the greyhound's unofficial strapper.
When he came to Wentworth Park on Saturday night Mutton was making his third 18 hours round trip from the Gold Coast despite Jimmy The Singer racing there for the first time.
"I brought him to Wenty a few weeks ago to give him a 520m trial and he clocked just outside the 30sec mark,'' Mutton said.
"So I came to Sydney again to race him on October 8 but a few minutes after I arrived the meeting was cancelled.
"Elizabeth, who does everything with this dog, accompanied me on that long, wasted trip.
"She was so disappointed she wouldn't come with me this week but she will probably be here again next Saturday for the final.
"I'm delighted Jimmy The Singer has drawn box eight in the final because he handled it so well in his heat.
"And I think being drawn immediately outside the fastest heat winner Punter's Bandit, who has box seven, puts my bloke in with a chance.
"No matter what happens next week I'm stoked to win a race at Wentworth Park.
"To me, Wenty is the holy grail of greyhound racing and while I have been training greyhounds for eight years Jimmy The Singer is only my second winner at the famous course.
"On August 19, 2017 I won with Bintang Laurie, who got home despite not having previously seen the track.''
David Smith, trainer of Australia's best stayer Super Estrella, produced previously unraced Got The Feature to win in fastest heat time in Thursday's time honoured Maitland Future Stars.
Got The Feature began fairly but pushed through from box four to lead at the first turn before coming away to cover the 400m in 22.41.
"He has box two in the final and that should suit him,'' Smith said.
"Got The Feature doesn't go that quick straight away but musters speed once he hits the ground.
"I trialled him at Maitland before the heats and he only ran 22.77, although the track was not fast that day as the best trial time was just 22.72.''
Smith also has Stunning Chick, a 22.81 heat winner in the $15,000 to the winner final.
"But she has drawn box four and I doubt she can win from there,'' Smith said.
