Imagine winning your first Group race and not being able to be there.

Well Victorian trainer Matt Clark didn’t have to imagine because last night Catch The Thief claimed the $32,000 to-the-winner WA Derby at Cannington.

Covid-19 restrictions prevented Matt from making the trip over to WA but Catch The Thief was in the trusted hands of Steve and Krystal Shinners, who finished second behind Catch The Thief with Buster The Brute.

“If Catch The Thief wasn’t in the race, Steve would have won. It’s a testament to his character and I can’t thank him enough,” Clark said.

“It was surreal and strange watching the race from afar. It is disappointing not being able to experience it all, but I am thrilled with the win.”

“When you see the list of greyhounds who have won this race in the past and what they have gone on to do, it makes me really excited about the future with him.”

Catch The Thief didn’t just win the WA Derby, he won it in a race record time of 29.32sec, which is a length outside of the current 520m track record held by Campini (29.26sec).

WATCH: Catch The Thief win the WA Derby from box three.

A winner of 11 races from just 18 career starts, Catch The Thief has now recorded five consecutive victories.

The son of Aussie Infrared and Dundee Ally will stay in Western Australia for the next couple of weeks as he embarks on his second feature campaign – the Winter Cup at Cannington (heats Saturday 6 June).

“After the Winter Cup we will then look towards the Maturity Classic at The Meadows,” Clark added.

Heats of the $100,000 to-the-winner Group 1 Maturity Classic will be run on Saturday 18 July with the final being held on Saturday 25 July at The Meadows.