NEW DESTINY maintained a great record in the north-east Category One competition for Mark Wallis with a fifth success for the champion trainer in the £12,500 Arena Racing Company Grand Prix Final at Sunderland on Friday – blasting to a new track record in the process. 

Lining up a red-hot 2-9 favourite and kick-starting a busy open-race weekend for connections, New Destiny had dominated from the get-go in heat and semi-final but this time had to give best to 33-1 chance Killieford Goram (Dean Blackbird) early doors who set the tempo for four bends until New Destiny powered to the front approaching the fifth turn for a five-length victory over Newcastle’s Makeit Mead (Ray Hale).

The winning time was 38.79sec for the 640m trip, two spots inside Coolavanny Aunty’s best set in 2022, with the victory adding to a hugely impressive CV boasted by the October 2021 daughter of Grangeview Ten and Coonough Dolly, a half-sister of 2023 winner Coonough Crow, also trained by Wallis for the owning MWD Partnership.

It means a fifth Sunderland Grand Prix success for Imperial Kennels after success for Blonde Fletch (2011), dead-heating Hometown Honey (2013), Bombers Bullet (2018), Coonough Crow (2023) and now New Destiny.

Adding to her own victories last year in the Coral Coronation Cup and Premier Greyhound Racing Champion Stakes at Romford and the bet365 Challenge Cup at Oxford, New Destiny is one of the major stars at Wallis’s Lakenheath base and his Grand Prix victory was right up there with her best efforts, he reckoned.

“You’d have to say it was,” he said. “We knew she had pace inside with Dean’s (Blackbird) dog and, if anything, missing her break slightly was perfect. She was a bit clever there! It meant she could follow him round inside and do her running – and the time puts the run bang in contention for one of her best efforts.

“We’ve got the (Ladbrokes) Golden Jacket to think about. She runs Monmore well and that longer run to the bend will suit. It’s probably as far as she wants to go distance-wise but we’ll give it a go. The kennel is in really good form just now. We’re building up to the Derby, the dogs are running well, and we’re picking up competitions. It’s all good.

“We’d just like to say on behalf of the MWD Partnership many thanks to the Sunderland management and Arc for their sponsorship. We enjoy our trips there and it’s always even better when you win!”