Medhurst’s high class speedster High Treason was opposed to one of the strongest fields on record but the trainer was confident he would win if he could lead.

High Treason flew out from box 7 to find the front and the race was as good as over, with the $4.30 second favourite going on to score by 7-1/2 lengths.

The dog’s owners, the Dulverton Syndicate, pocketed first prizemoney of $25,000 and Medhurst picked up another trophy to go with the four already on his mantelpiece.

He has previously won the race with Blazenka’s Flyer (1990), Supa Instinct (2005), Dark Vito (2015) and Keune (2016).

Medhurst described all his wins as “very special” but said he still had a soft spot for his first.

“They’ve all been different types of dogs – this one is a speed dog but Supa Instinct was a strong railer and very powerful dog and Keune was pretty strong as well,” he said.

“The field this year was the most even I can remember and, depth-wise, really strong so our chances relied on him beginning brilliantly – which he did.

“There were a lot of front-runners in the field so whoever beat them to the punch was probably going to win it and we were lucky enough to do it on the day.

“Once he led I thought he’d win but, when there was trouble behind him, it really did ease my mind.

“The margin was embellished by the interference but I don’t think it altered the result as far as the winner was concerned.”

Medhurst said he had been a little worried about High Treason’s wide draw but was assured by form expert Barry Heawood, the dog’s breeder and co-owner, that it would suit him.

“Barry told me in his opinion he was well drawn – he reckons he begins better from wide draws,” the trainer said.

The Dulverton Syndicate has quite a few members, although Medhurst wasn’t sure how many.

“All I know is that most of them could kick a football years ago,” he said.

The syndicate gets its name from Lake Dulverton near manager Murray Johnson’s home town of Oatlands.

“I’ve know Murray for a long time – he’s raced greyhounds and pacers over the years,” Medhurst said.

High Treason’s next target is the Launceston Cup.

“Similar to any race he’s in, he’s got to begin good to be viable, especially around Launceston,” Medhurst said.

Three of the four interstate runners filled the placings behind High Treason on Tuesday – Invictus Rapid, Rock Up Top and Aqua Cheetah.