Unreal Speed made the Fanta Bale Stayers his own tonight at The Meadows.

Trained by Robert Britton, Unreal Speed’s first Group race victory came in start 14.

The son of Space Star x Shiny Bright, jumped better than he did in the heat last week with the speed set by Groovebird.

Unreal Speed sailed past Groovebird, to lead most of the race. Pass Mark and Irish Millie started to close in on Unreal Speed, but he was too good.

He stopped the clock in a time of 42.49 seconds, slightly slower than his heat win last week.

“Very happy with the run, we will see where we go from here,” handler Peter Riley said post-race.

“If he can get clear runs like that anything is possible.”

The Group 1 Fanta Bale Stayers win was his third start on return from an injury induced spell which saw him sidelined for eight months.

A hairline fracture to his fibular saw him scratched from the Sandown Cup, where he was the fastest qualifier in the fourth fastest time set at Sandown’s 715 metre distance last year.

But it was a tear to the Achillies Tendon which extended his time on the bench.

“They don’t call him the Bart Cummings of greyhound racing for nothing. What he can do with a stayer is amazing and it’s wonderful to be a part of,” handler Peter Riley said of trainer Robert Britton.

There was added sentiment and even tears from Peter Riley when quizzed about the added meaning behind winning a race named after the great Fanta Bale, who Peter was lucky enough to work with throughout her career.

“She was a very special girl – for a dog like her to win nine Group 1’s and have a race like this named after her and to win it is really special,” Riley said.