Flyin’ Finley lived up to her namesake when last weekend, she recorded her fastest time yet over the 347-metre distance.

Muswellbrook trainer Kevin Smith was suitably chuffed with the dog’s impressive run in the grade 4/5 ParkView Hotel Stakes in Gunnedah.

She stopped the clock for a time of 19.93.

“Not a bad little bitch is she?” Smith said post-race. 

“She’s got a good stride on her, goes pretty well.”

Not only was it his dog’s career best time over that distance it was also Smith’s maiden win in Gunnedah.

“I’ve been coming up here for years but this is the first winner I’ve got here,” he said.

Flyin’ Finley left rivals in her dust and led for nearly the entire trip.

The trainer remarked the difficulty other dogs encountered in making up the ground as soon as Finley gets half a sniff.

“Once she’s out in front, she’s very hard to catch,” he said.

It has been a remarkable run of late for the Smith owned and trained dog, after she eased in a seven-length win at Mudgee and posted a strong win at Dubbo over local rival, Mr Riley, out of Curlewis.

Her only hiccup was a tough draw at the Gardens earlier this month.

“She got knocked pillar to post and ended up fifth or sixth,” Smith said.

“I’ll take her back to the Gardens next up and give her another go down there.

“She hasn’t got over 400 (metres) yet but I’m trying to get her up to speed.”

Another dog showing good speed on the weekend was Ellangowan Rex.

The $2 favourite won the grade 5, 347m Imperial Hotel Stakes in Gunnedah.

It was his second win from just three starts.

At three-and-a-half years old, Ellangowan Rex might be starting late in his racing career but is quickly making up for lost time.

His Lismore-based trainer Joe Cotroneo said a delay in finalising the paperwork from his previous owners meant the dog was left high and dry.

“It wasted most of his racing career,” Joe said.

“But he’s not a bad little dog, handy you know.”

Describing him as “determined” there was much to like about Joe’s tough little battler, a dog in which he sees a lot of himself.

“I’ve been in this game (greyhound racing) for over 55 years and I’m still going and I ‘spose he’s old and he’s still going too,” the trainer quipped.

He added that Ellangowan Rex’s next start would likely be in Lismore over a longer distance.

“I’m going to try him over the 500m because he’s a determined little dog and he might go better,” Joe said.

He was also weighing up whether to test his mettle at harder tracks as well.

“I’d like to take him to Albion Park because he’s been there and trialled well so with a bit of luck we might get him there.”

Kennel-mate Ellangowan Lock ran fourth in his race in Gunnedah after encountering traffic early on but Joe was optimistic of a better result next start in Lismore.

“He’s had two wins here (Gunnedah) before and today’s he’s run fourth,” he said.

“He got in a bit of trouble but that’s racing, you’ve got to take the good with the bad.

“I reckon he’ll win his next start at Lismore. He’s not as determined as the other dog but he’s a better galloper.”

Best of the local dogs was the Lisa Silver-trained Nevaeh Boy, which posted its third win from as many starts and took out the Blue Paws Series Final run over 440m.