SATURDAY night under lights at The Q showcased some of the nation’s most exciting emerging greyhound talent, with the Group 3 Young Gunners and Young Gunnettes Finals delivering both dominance and a stunning upset over 457 metres.
The Young Gunners Final was billed as a showcase for the highly talented Neame, and the Tony Zammit-trained star lived up to the hype. Sent out as the $2 favourite, Neame exploded from the boxes and immediately took control of the race, dictating the tempo throughout before powering to victory.
The son of Hooked On Scotch and Ladies Get Grace proved too strong for Victorian visitor Dramatical, with Extra Voltage rounding out the placings.
The victory was Neame’s fifth consecutive win and continued a remarkable run of consistency. The talented chaser now boasts 14 wins and six placings from just 21 career starts, while pushing his prize-money earnings beyond $80,000.
The Young Gunnettes Final provided an equally thrilling contest for the girls, but few could have predicted the result, as $17 outsider Cheeky Belgin produced a sensational upset against $1.75 favourite Salsa.
Packed with promising young talent, the race burst into life from box rise when Beautiful Child showed early speed to lead before Summer’s Dunay surged forward and took control approaching the turn.
However, the race was far from over.
As the field straightened for home, Cheeky Belgin unleashed a powerful finishing burst down the outside to storm over the top of her rivals and claim the prestigious Group 3 title.
The Peter O’Reilly-trained bitch demonstrated that greyhound racing can produce surprises on any given night, rewarding supporters with one of the biggest upsets of the evening.
The daughter of Feral Franky and Sequana, Cheeky Belgin now has three wins and six placings from 13 career starts and appears destined for bigger opportunities following her breakthrough feature-race success.
The two finals capped off a memorable night of racing at The Q.
