Palawa King dominates National Distance Championship Final at The Meadows
Palawa King took out the Group 1 National Distance Championship Final, serving up a great staying performance at The Meadows on Saturday night.
The Ray Smith-trained chaser lined up in the 730m feature race, paying $3.20 with top greyhound betting markets.
At box rise, Ballistic Ant ($91) jumped best to hit the lead and gave the pack something to chase around the first bend, with Fast Minardi ($8.50) in second.
On the second bend, some dogs came together, allowing Fast Minardi to take over at the front, with Palawa King running into second as he stormed through in trademark fashion to take the $75,000-to-the-winner prize.
He beat home Fast Minardi and the retiring Days Of Thunder ($15) by two-and-three-quarter lengths in a time of 42.70.
The Meadows National Distance Championship Final Replay – Palawa King (1st)
It was the first time Palawa King had run the 730m journey at The Meadows, having run the shorter 600m trip at the Broadmeadows track on two occasions, saluting on both occasions.
Last time out, on August 10, he qualified for the national feature race with a runner-up finish over the Wentworth Park 720m trip.
He finished six and three-quarter lengths behind the John Finn-trained Zipping Vanessa on that occasion.
Earlier this year, on June 15, Palawa King took out the Group 3 Origin Greyhound Series Distance Final at Albion Park, beating home Blue Hornet and Sorority by a length.
He returned to the Albion Park track on July 7, saluting in the Queensland Cup Final over the 710m, beating home Locked On Scotch and Rippin' Grace by a tight margin (0.13 length).
Palawa King continues to show his powerful finish and his genuine staying ability, armed with a 77% strike rate of placings, having only gone unplaced twice in his last 24 starts.
The Feral Franky x Maximum Dos dog has 20 wins and 14 placings from 44 career starts as he passes $430,000 in prize money for connections.
He features in ‘all-in' markets for major upcoming races, including the Stayers Topgun ($7), the Bold Trease ($10), and the Zoom Top ($6).