Black Opium breaks first-section record at Sale
Racing fourth up from a three-month spell, Black Opium has today broken Lots Of Chatter's Sale 520m first-section record by half a length, and gone within a length of the long-standing track record.
Black Opium's career looked in doubt in November 2019 after a bad fall in the 2019 Group 1 Topgun which resulted in a hock injury. However, after a first-up second at Geelong, Black Opium has proven she is back to her very best with consecutive wins at Shepparton (25.14), The Meadows (29.64 BON) and now Sale.
Jason Thompson's multiple Group 1 placegetter was today racing down in grade in a lowly fourth and fifth grade race, but she set the track alight springing with a record-breaking 9.13 split in the first section. Lots Of Chatter had previously held the best time for the Sale 520m first section with 9.16 seconds.
The three-year-old daughter of Black Magic Opal proved she has plenty of racing left in her career, tearing to the back in 17.73 before finding the line in a flying 29.01.
The run was just outside Shooting Star's 28.97 track record, which has stood as the record for the past 12 years.
Set on March 30, 2008, Shooting Star's high mark is the longest-standing track record in Victorian greyhound racing.