Fernando Duke has upstaged a hot McKenna Memorial (595 metres) at Sandown Park tonight with an emphatic all-the-way win in the $55,000 feature.

Trained by Kayla Cottrell, Fernando Duke was the oldest and most experienced greyhound in the field and proved that early speed wins races.

At $19, Fernando Duke's first Group win came as a surprise to many.

He claimed the Group 2 McKenna Memorial in a time of 34.16 seconds – the same time he ran when placing second to fastest qualifier Intrepid Bale in his heat.

Fernando Duke (6) crossed and lead early from box six to win the McKenna in 34.16 seconds. Without A Trace (2) and Paw Yasmin (8) where huge runs finishing second and third.

Pre-race favourite Without A Trace lost no admirers in her run. After finding herself at the rear of the field, the daughter of Houdini Boy worked the outside with ease to claim second place.

Paw Yasmin, for trainer Mark Delbridge, also came from nowhere with a classy rail run to finish third.