Superior Pup Looks A Star Of The Future

PRODIGIOUS talent Zipping Kansas has become the seventh fastest greyhound to score over the Bulli 472 metres with a mesmerising performance at the South Coast venue on Tuesday night.

The budding young star stopped the clock in a dazzling 25.92 seconds to annex the $3,000-to-the-winner GRNSW Maiden Final (472m) by an ever extending 10 lengths.

The time – registered at just his second start – sits only behind track record holder Aston Dee Bee (25.78) and fellow topline sprinters Shima Shine (25.82/25.87), Sandave Prince (25.85), El Magnifico (25.86), Exclusive One (25.87) and Barcia Blue Boy (25.90).

Last week, the son of Superior Panama and Zipping Katelyn posted a dazzling 26.06 on debut for trainer Ray Magri, the time just a length behind the 25.99 Lagoon Rhett ran in 2017 to become the quickest ever debut Bulli winner.

Earlier this week, Magri flagged that a sub-26 seconds run in the final was well within the realms of possibility and it was a prediction that proved spot on.

Only adding to the merit of the win was the fact it was produced on a wet track in less than ideal weather conditions.

Armed with a booming finish, Zipping Kansas ran home in a remarkable 6.54 in Tuesday night's stellar win.

To give that time context, Melbourne Cup hero Aston Dee Bee ran home in 6.53 when posting his record breaking win in 2017 as a fully fledged race dog.

Martin Hallinan's decision to be one of the first in Australia to use Superior Panama was a diversion from many year's reliance on colonial-bred stud dogs.

And it's a decision paying immediate dividends.

“We'd used Fernando Bale maybe six times and never had great success,” Hallinan said.

“He's by an American sire and an out-and-out superstar but our results were just fair and I decided to go with a complete outcross for the first time in a long time with Superior Panama.

“[My son] Cameron went to the USA a while back and there were tremendous wraps on Superior Panama over there … he was dominating the stud ranks services number-wise and he was a magnificent looking dog."

After purchasing semen, Hallinan waited for the right bitch and Zipping Katelyn's litter have turned heads from day one.

“We did a bit of work here at home with the Katelyn litter and, at their first look at Bathurst, they ran times which race dogs would produce," Hallinan said.

“They all had great intensity and looked really strong – but they were only 307m trials.

“Zipping Kansas only ran 18.28 at his last Bathurst trial while another ran 17.69 … and he's yet to race.

“Kansas was nowhere near the quickest at that time but, clearly, had loads of improvement up his sleeve.”

Size, temperament, speed and strength is what sold Martin Hallinan on Superior Panama and what we've seen so far – and what is to come – whets the appetite.