Xylia Allen Joins Zoom Top In Historic Performance
Xylia Allen may have failed to win the National Distance Championship final at Cannington, but by running second she did succeed in becoming Australia's highest prize money earner.
In eclipsing Miata at the top of the prize money tree, Xylia Allen became only the second genuine all-distance greyhound to achieve the feat, thereby equalling the effort of the greyhound many still consider the best to have ever graced an Australian racecourse, Zoom Top.
Since Black Top, the sire of Zoom Top, retired in 1963 as the highest prize money winner in Australia, there have been 18 greyhounds who have gone on to take the number one mantle. Of these, 12 have been purely sprinters, and four have been predominantly stayers.
Xylia Allen is only the third greyhound this century to have taken the top spot. The first was the appropriately named Queensland sprinter High Earner who, on 19 February 2011, finally ended the great Rapid Journey's 147-month stint at the top of the prize money tree.
High Earner held the record for two years, until 9 February 2013, when West Australian super stayer Miata cruised past. Now, just 18 months later, and Xylia Allen becomes the first Victorian since Highly Blessed to take the prize money crown.
In a somewhat ironic fashion, Highly Blessed also supplanted a West Australian greyhound for the title. Sandi's Me Mum had taken the record from a Queenslander, Dancing Gamble, in May 1990. Highly Blessed, just 10 months later, eclipsed Sandi's Me Mum at the end of March 1991.
Xylia Allen is also only the fifth Victorian since the 1960s to have held the record. As well as the aforementioned Highly Blessed, the other holders have been the mighty stayers Lizrene and Bold Trease and the underrated sprinter Tangaloa.
Lizrene went past Zoom Top's 64-month old record in 1974 and held the top spot for 69 months. Tangaloa eclipsed the NSW sprinter Acclaim Star in January 1980 and held the record for the next 45 months.
Bold Trease held the record for a mere one day. He went past the record set by NSW stayer Whip Tip on 19 October 1988. Just 24 hours later, Queenslader Dancing Gamble scored at the Gabba and went past Bold Trease's total.
It's hard to see how any current greyhound is going to get past Xylia Allen' new mark of $722,625, especially as she is yet to finish racing.
Zoom Top finished her career in 1970 with what was then an incredible $59,032. The first greyhound to pass $100,000 was the Allen Wheeler sprinter Winifred Bale, in 1983. Rapid Journey was the first to pass half a million in stake earnings. Now Xylia Allen has the chance to reach three-quarters of a million, or more.