Dyna Double One sets rare record breaking double
THE incredible dual track record performance by champion sprinter turned middle distance star Dyna Double One is, I believe, unique in the annals of greyhound racing in Australia.
Dyna Double One smashed the 595m Sandown track record on January 28, running 33.63 at his first attempt over a middle distance. That time clipped 4/100ths off the mark set by Bobby Boucheau in January 2011. It was the longest-standing of the current track records at Sandown.
Bobby Boucheau later ran a track record for the 715m journey.
Then, just nine days later, Dyna Double One came out and annihilated a field over 600m at the Meadows, running 33.91 to slice 7/100ths off Xylia Allen's time standard, set in May 2014.
To the best of my knowledge, no other greyhound has ever registered successive track records at two city racecourses since the start of mechanical hare racing in 1927. Of course, for much of our history only Sydney and Melbourne have enjoyed the luxury of having two city courses, with Melbourne now the only place in the country to have this feature (since the closure of Harold Park in Sydney in 1987).
There are plenty of greyhounds who have run two or more track records in consecutive races, but the closest I'm aware of to approach Dyna Double One's efforts are those of Top Linen (1958), Bunyip Bint (1969) and Miata (2011).
In 1958, the great sprinter Top Linen set a new track record time of 26.4 (times were only to tenths in those days) for 500 yards (457m) at Harold Park. That was on April 30. Just two days later, Top Linen ran 23.3 to equal the Maitland 440 yards (405m) track record. He then won over 525 yards at Cessnock to set a new time standard of 27.9 on May 12. Finally, he returned to Harold Park for what proved to be his last race start, on May 31, a match race against the Victorian champion Rookie Rebel, which Top Linen won in fine style, running 26.4 to equal his own mark.
So, Top Linen ran four successive track records, including two at the city course of Harold Park, albeit not in successive races in the city and not in a full field in the second of those wins.
Fast forward to 1969 and the erratic but brilliant stayer Bunyip Bint. The Stan Cleverley-trained bitch contested an Invitation Stake over 800 yards (732m) at Harold Park on November 8 and defeated the mighty Zoom Top by eight lengths in 42.7, absolutely smashing her own track record by 3/10ths.
A week later Bunyip Bint equalled the Goulburn 760 yards track record, running 41.5 on what was a wet track. She then returned to Harold Park on 29 November and equalled her own track record in a stunning 10 lengths win.
In 2011, the sensational Miata broke the 530m Cannington track record in three consecutive races, running 29.86 on August 3, 29.84 on August 10 and 29.81 on August 17. That sequence is the closest approximation to what has been achieved so far by Dyna Double One.
As well, Dyna Double One becomes the first greyhound since Miram Miss to hold a track record at both of the Melbourne city courses.
Miram Miss ran a track record 43 15/16 (for some obscure reason times in Victoria until the early 1970s were registered in 16ths of a second) over 800 yards at Olympic Park on September 9, 1968.
She also established the Sandown 785 yards track standard, running 43 8/16.