Saturday’s Topgun meeting at The Meadows not only showcased elite greyhound racing but also some fascinating Race Data, offering a deeper look at how the best of the best hit top gear.

SHARAPOVA STAR SET THE MID-RACE PACE

She delivered one of the standout performances across the 525m events. The data shows her hitting a blistering 71.09 km/h at the 100m mark, comfortably the fastest of the entire meeting.

Notably, her first 20m of 2.07 seconds was the second quickest opener of the night behind Paw Gordy, who jumped directly alongside Sharapova Star but couldn’t match her acceleration.

Sharapova Star (2) and Paw Gordy (1) fly out, before Sharapova takes off!

EARLY BURNERS AND STRONG FINISHERS

While Sharapova Star dominated early, others impressed through different stages.

Paw Waverly showed great speed in Race 3, maintaining top-three times across the first three splits (0-20m, 20-50m and 50m-100m) to 100m. Notable mention to Papa Easy as well, who ran up to his exact trial times revealed by his trainer John Barbara pre-race on Racing.com.

Despite finishing 7th in the Topgun, Mepunga Reward had the strongest run-home, clocking an extremely strong 11.88 which is almost 6L faster than the meeting average – underlining his late-race power.

Topgun winner Slick Splits took advantage of what was a relatively slow start for the whole field. Slick Splits led marginally at the 20m mark with a time of 2.16, which wasn’t much better than the meeting average (all runners over 525m) of 2.20. Which also suggests Mallee Beauty missed a major opportunity to spear forward – she set a 20m time of just 2.23.

Slick Splits (9) and Eriza Sparkles (2) take control in the Topgun

GONE WITH A TRACE OF FAST NUMBERS

Without A Trace dominated the Topgun Stayers final over 730m – the fastest time (42.27) of the year and 9th fastest of all time. While it’s not an identical comparison, her 300m time of 17.03 seconds would’ve well and truly been in the top 10 of the 525m races.

Meanwhile, in the Hume Cup (600m), Accredited burst from the boxes with a 1.93s first 20m – while on face value is a meeting best, the camber of bend starts allows for faster 20m times. However, in comparison to his opposition he slapped them – a length in front at 20m and two lengths in-front at 50m. His first split (8.74) was new record – taking 0.03 off the previous standard jointly held by Dyna Patty, Zipping Kai and Zipping Rambo. His mid-race split of 21.70 is flying, but a bit off Hector Fawley‘s record of 21.53.

Accredited (3) dominates the Hume Cup 

Full sectional breakdowns for all races at The Meadows and Sandown Park are available at Race Data.

Whether you’re analysing race patterns or just want to see how your favourite dog stacks up, the data gives everyone a fresh way to enjoy the sport’s finer details.