NSW National Sprint Final

NSW Nationals' Representatives Selected

By Jeff Collerson
Minnie Finn's Might Have Been and the Joe Scerri-trained Ritza Piper are off to Adelaide for the grand finals following their hollow winning romps in the NSW finals of the National Sprint and Distance Championships on Thursday night.

Might Have Been stunned racegoers by jumping in front and leading throughout to win the 520m Sprint final by a dozen lengths in a sensational 29.39.

Ritza Piper's all the way win was almost as easy, with the daughter of Ritza Lenny and Ritza Vonnie gradually increasing her lead throughout the race to score by nearly eight lengths in a nippy 42.06.

Ritza Piper, a Greyhound of the Year finalist and Newcastle Cup winner, took her earnings to over $388,000 by notching her 10th win in 20 Wentworth Park 720m races.

She is owned by her breeder Frank Gatt, and trainer by Joe Scerri, who once worked in the kennels of Gatt's sons Mark and Daniel, also successful trainers.

Mark Gatt said last night: "Ritza Piper is a real home grown product because I trained both her sire and dam for my father.

"Ritza Lenny won 30 of 67 races and Ritza Vonnie won 12 from 25 and dad gave Ritza Piper to Joe to train after we had all become close friends through Joe working for us for a couple of years.

"He has done a fantastic job with Ritza Piper, we are all so proud of him and the bitch.''


The late John Finn won the 1991 National Sprint Championship with Jessica Casey and now his widow Minnie gets the chance to emulate her late husband's success.

After Thursday night's race, Minnie Finn said: "I now have to organise a trial at Angle Park for Might Have Been, the venue for the Sprint Championship, because there's no way you can expect to win in Adelaide without a look at the track.

"Poco Dorado, Might Have Been's mother, finished third to Tornado Tears in the 2018 National Distance Championship at Sandown, Melbourne, so hopefully her son can make amends for that defeat.''

Denis Donoghue, part-owner and breeder of Might Have Been, said: "We had three runners in the State final on Thursday and while I thought Both Bowers Ace, who had box one, was our best chance, Minnie always reckoned Might Have Been would be the one to beat.

"She insisted the dog loves being boxed out wide and she was right again.

"Another member of this Flying Ricciardo-Poco Dorado litter, Gets Late Early, has won the group one National Futurity, yet they don't turn three until February.

"The remarkable thing is that when they first started racing they were nothing flash, we were resigned to them being no better than 'bread and butter' dogs.

"Yet they have done nothing but improve and they continue to amaze us.''

Caption: GRNSW Acting CEO Wayne Billett, NSW halfback Mitch Moses, Minnie Finn and NSW fullback James Tedesco.