Miss Envy steps up to ‘superstar’ with Golden Sands victory

By Pat McLeod

The 2026 Group 1 Golden Sands Final not only etched WA visitor Miss Envy as a greyhound racing superstar but also anointed local Jay Walking as an elite-class distance star on the rise.

Miss Envy (trained by Krystal Shinners) took the honours in an intriguing 600 metre showdown on the Q2 Parklands track on Thursday night, with Jay Walking (Jamie Hosking) almost stealing the limelight.

Krystal Shinners’ husband and fellow trainer Steve Shinners said he was a little concerned through the home straight about the epic closing stages battle.

"I thought Jamie’s dog was a major threat,” Steve Shinners said. 

“I knew that we weren't 100 percent in fitness and Jamie’s dog is a very good dog, but she (Miss Envy) has the heart of a lion when she is in front.”

The Aston Dee Bee and Miss America chaser saluted in 34.18 seconds with Jay Walking a length behind and Zig Zag Man (Sydney Swain) third.

Steve Shinners knew his bitch had to grab the lead early from the five box if she was to win. 

She did that, but Jay Walking (box seven) worried her the entire journey.

“That was a great win, but nothing about that run surprised me,” Steve Shinners said. 

“Last week we were under a little bit of duress when she pulled up sore after the trial here. But, we were able to patch her up and get her through to the heat.

“We worked on her all this week. We have been down the beach each day, getting everything all right. We got the all-clear on Tuesday.

“So, she was a little bit underdone being on the lead all week.  She is a star and she will just keep on improving. I am very proud of her.

“I don't think that I have ever seen her run down when she has been in front. She just hates being beaten and is the ultimate competitor.”

Steve Shinners said Thursday night’s victory has closed the gap between Miss Envy and his best-ever champ, Oh Behave.

“She (Miss Envy) is now probably up there with Oh Behave, the champion bitch that I had years ago. It is so hard to judge them across different eras," he said. 

“If she can win one or two more before she retires, she will most likely be one of the best dogs that I have ever had.

“Her biggest asset is her chasing ability. It is second to none and she just hates being beaten.” 

Miss Envy has now moved her prizemoney tally to $713,655 - 27 wins and 15 placings from 46 starts. 

The Shinners kennel now has a Melbourne campaign planned for Miss Envy, under the care of Victorian trainer Kel Greenough and then a move up in distance.

“She has plenty of racing left in her. She hasn't been overly raced. If we can get her up to the 700 metres, Kel believes that she will be a champion stayer," he said. 

“It will be interesting if she can stay sound, what she can do. Fingers crossed the best is yet to come.”

Jay Walking’s second placing in the Group 1 event continues an exciting rise in stature for the Hosking-owned-and-trained speedster.

The Fernando Bale and Micks Recall dog was accumulating a solid stats sheet over the sprint distances, including victory in the Darwin Cup in August.

However, since stepping up to the 600 metre journey just three starts ago, Jay Walking has opened up a whole new exciting race chapter.

In his first start at that distance, on the Q2, he set the new time mark at 34.05 seconds. 

His second start was a Golden Sands heat win over impressive company.

And, then Thursday night’s performance moved his earnings to $131,380 from 14 wins and 10 placings from 33 starts.

Also creating plenty of interest on Thursday night were the four heats of the Group 2 Golden Ticket over 520 metres.

This exciting format leads into next Thursday night’s four, two-dog match races, with the winner not only collecting the $60,000 first prize, but also the ‘Golden Ticket’ into the Group 1 Gold Bullion Final on February 5.

The fastest heat time was 29.29 seconds Tom Tzouvelis’ Tempting Dash.

The Group 2 Golden Ticket match races for Thursday, January 29:

Tempting Dash (box three) vs Irish Bill (box one);

Winsome Jet (box three) vs Daysea's Rory (box one);

Sooty Keeping (box three) v Accredited (box one);

Vista Weird (box one) v Tarawi Buster (box three).