When Super Estrella won the 2022 National Distance Championship for trainer David Smith she became the 12th local winner of the staying title, a long way short of Victoria's 27 victories.
But NSW has a powerful pair going into this year's 725m final at The Meadows after Zipping Vanessa and Palawa King landed the quinella in Thursday night's Wentworth Park qualifying race.
Zipping Vanessa, trained by John Finn, clocked a personal best 41.61 in her seven lengths winning romp, after taking the leading going through the catching pen.
Palawa King, trained by Finn's nephew Jack Smith, was slowly away and would have finished much closer had he not been checked on the back straight.
After the race Finn's wife Minnie and Jack Smith were discussing plans leading up to the August 26 grand final in Melbourne.
"Zipping Vanessa has not raced at The Meadows so she will need to have a trial or maybe a race there before the big one,'' Minnie Finn said.
Palawa King earned a start in the August 26 final as the wild card entry and Jack Smith said: "The Meadows race is 16 days away so my dog will need a race somewhere before that so maybe I might go back to Melbourne with him.''
Modern Swinger won his way through to the National Sprint Championship at The Meadows on August 26 with an all-the-way win in Thursday night's NSW final at Wentworth Park.
"He has raced at Sandown in Melbourne but has not been to The Meadows so I am going to have to go down there and trial him on the track before the final,'' Modern Swinger's trainer Chris O'Brien said.
"I think The Meadows will suit Modern Swinger a lot more than Sandown did because he is a good beginner with plenty of early pace.
"He goes well at Dapto and Wentworth Park and dogs that do well on those tracks are usually suited at The Meadows.''
Wyndra All Class was unplaced in Thursday night's NSW Sprint final after being badly hampered in the run to the first turn but will also go to Melbourne as the wild card entry in the sprint Championship.
NSW has been clearly the most successful state in the National Sprint Championship with 20 wins ahead of Victoria with 14 successes.
Wyndra All Class is raced by the late Sue Barton and her husband Brian, who said on Thursday night: "Trainer Daniel Gatt will take her to The Meadows for one, or maybe two trials on the track before the August 26 final.''
Lochinvar Pearl, who led throughout in a nippy 30.07 over 520m at Wentworth Park last Saturday night, is already being earmarked for a step up to longer distances.
She began brilliantly from box one at Wentworth Park and took her 520m record to four wins from seven starts.
But trainer Ruth King is already planning to tackle middle distances with Lochinvar Pearl, who is just over 25 months old.
"I think she will be an ideal 600m greyhound because she has the box speed to be the pacemaker in those races,'' King said.
"Lochinvar Pearl is a good beginner and is very strong at the end of 520m but her middle split times let her down.
"At places like Dapto she can earn good prizemoney in those 600m GRNSW Middle Distance Series races.''
