Campini's Fantastic Cannington Record

Three-time Group 1 finalist Campini's record-breaking performance at Cannington last Saturday night certainly caught leading WA trainer Paul Stuart by surprise.

In fact, Stuart didn't even rate Campini as his best chance in the 520m Free For All.

The market reflected Stuart's opinion, with Starlight Yoyo sent out the $1.90 favourite from box one, shading Campini, which started at $2.10 from box five in the five-greyhound field.

The kennelmates were returning to Cannington after clashing in the Group 3 Birthday Cup Final over 405m at Mandurah at their previous start, where Starlight Yoyo finished second and Campini seventh.

To Stuart's surprise, Campini crossed his kennelmate and it was one-way traffic from that point as he defeated Starlight Yoyo by 6.5 lengths in 29.26s, eclipsing Quick Jagger's previous course record of 29.29s established in May 2017.

"Purely off the draw I thought Starlight Yoyo was my best chance," Stuart said.

"She's generally got more early pace than Campini, she had the red and she's going really well, her last couple of runs at Mandurah were awesome.

"In a full field I would have put everything I've got on Starlight Yoyo but it was already a small field and then there was another scratching inside Campini, which he appreciated.

"I was surprised Campini crossed Starlight Yoyo so easily. His first section of 5.49s was good but from the winning post to the second and third splits what he ran was ridiculous. He was really up and about.

"There's no question how quick he is. It's just a matter of how he races.

"Quick Jagger set the record early on at the new track and nothing had really got too close to it – Orson Allen ran 29.32s and Campini had gone 29.43s. The track wasn't electric either; nothing else ran the hands off the clock."

It was Campini's 17th win from 41 starts, with 14 of those victories coming at Cannington, while it ticked his prizemoney tally past the $100,000 mark.

"It's a good advertisement for him," Stuart said.

"He's always promised to do something special but he hadn't really delivered. 

"He's been in three Group 1s – the Melbourne Cup, Perth Cup and National Sprint – and hasn't done anything."

Track records are in Campini's pedigree as his mother Fantastic Dotty broke the Dapto 520m record at her first two starts, while Stuart's former champion stayer Miata incredibly holds the 530m, 600m and 715m records on the ‘old' Cannington course.

While Campini qualified for the Melbourne Cup Final, Stuart says he is likely to bypass the Australian Cup Carnival in order to focus on a second tilt at his hometown Perth Cup, in which Campini ran fourth to star Victorian Orson Allen in 2019.

"The Perth Cup is probably his best chance of winning a big race so we'll probably concentrate on setting him for that," Stuart explained.

"After the Perth Cup we'll look to travel again, with a race like the (Group 1) Harrison-Dawson an option because he's going good at Sandown now, although it took him four or five runs to get used to it."

This Saturday at Cannington, Stuart's dual Australian Greyhound of the Year will be honoured with two heats of the Group 3 Miata (715m), with Victorian superstar Tornado Tears and National Distance Champion Reidy's Runner the favourites with TAB at $1.45 and $2 respectively.