“She has got me super excited,” commented Craig Roberts about his great looking stayer Dyna Weslyn. He has every right to be hyped up about her, as on Thursday evening Dyna Weslyn inked her name into the Addington 645m record book with her stunning 37.68s clock.
Pictured: Dyna Weslyn delivering her stunning Addington 37.68s 645m win (pic Dave Robbie)
Dyna Weslyn was having her first staying assignment after having stylishly won all eight of her previous Addington 520m races. Roberts had always maintained that staying races was always going to be Dyna Weslyn’s forte. How right he is!
Thursday’s 645m time was always going to be slippery when the Dave and Jean Fahey trained recent Group 2 South Island Champs winner Fair Pippa bounced straight into the race lead from trap one. Spearing around the outer wearing the pink racing vest was Dyna Weslyn, while the proven Fahey prepared 645m chaser Opawa Rooster was getting himself into a handy position.
Fair Pippa streamed down the back straight, with Dyna Weslyn stalking her and Opawa Rooster ominously closing in. Fair Pippa had cut out the first sectional in 12.59s; it was Dyna Weslyn who reached the back mark first in 25.14s and she then proceeded to bring it home in an astounding 12.54s for her overall slick 37.68s time.
A measure of her strength can be taken by the 6.75 length margin she put on runner up Opawa Rooster, who is no slug over the 645m trip. Kia Tere was another 5.5 lengths further behind for Steve and Bonnie Evans who shaded a tiring Fair Pippa.
Dyna Weslyn had previously illustrated her pace and strength via her 520m wins, which had been characterised by her strong run home times. Three of her 520m wins came in sub 30 second times, the best being in 29.81s.
Dyna Weslyn is bred to be an exciting stayer for her owner Brendan Wheeler who has successfully raced a number of his Dyna prefixed named greyhounds from the Roberts kennels, including the 2016 NZ Greyhound of the Year, Dyna Vikkers.
Dyna Weslyn’s mum Xylia Allen was a potent Australian stayer who raced for Wheeler’s mum Janice. Her 83 race career spanned from October 2010 through to October 2014. During that period she contested 83 races which yielded her $743,730 in stake earnings, the result of 40 wins and 25 minor placings. That record was sprinkled with numerous Group race staying wins and placings.
“I said a couple of months ago that I thought I had a potential champion stayer on my hands. Weslyn’s run home time last night was phenomenal. You know you have a top stayer if they break 12.90s for the 645m run home – to come home in 12.54s like she did last night was freakish,” added Roberts, who is still sunning himself in Fiji with his partner Ange Washington.
“Weslyn is mentally getting stronger, while physically she is currently right in the zone. I’ll nominate her for a first choice 732m and second choice 645m next week. I’m keen to take her over to Aussie to take on their top stayers and yes I know they have some very serious stayers racing over there at the moment. I might look at around late October and into November where there’s staying Group races at The Meadows (725m) and Sandown Park (715m),” advised Roberts.
The previous Addington 645m track record was jointly held by another Roberts trained stayer Avenger Bale (April 2018) along with Groovy Eye (September 2007) at 37.75s. It has been a record breaking month for Roberts trained greyhounds as Dyna Dave broke the long standing Addington 520m best time of 29.78s when he delivered his 27.75s. Just twelve days later his kennel mate Dyna Elwyn came out to deliver a searing 29.67s time.
Dyna Weslyn with her handler Dan Roberts following her 37.68s Thursday Addington 645m track record gallop; Dyna Weslyn’s mum Xylia Allen was a super star Australian stayer; Dyna Vikkers won the 2016 NZ Greyhound of the year for the Craig Roberts and Brendan Wheeler training/owning combination
By Peter Fenemor
