When it comes to greyhound racing, we're accustomed to seeing favourites deliver a lot of the time. Double-figure winners are rare in the sport, but sometimes, huge upsets still occur.
And on Wednesday at Manawatu Raceway, Ariana Sunset paid one of the biggest tote win dividends in New Zealand greyhound racing history, when she scored at odds of $87.20 and $8.40.
The favourite, Allegro Envy, led for the majority of the 410m journey, but when she faded late, the swoopers came, including Ariana Sunset, who had settled mid-field early off Box 8. With a late burst of speed, she got up to score by nearly four lengths on the line.
Her victory brought up her third career win at start number 86, much to the delight of her trainer Robert Murray, who is based in Toko, about 10kms east of Stratford.
"It's so exciting!" says Murray. "I'm very rapt with her.