The 2013 Group 2 Black Top winner Billy Buzzard is poised to open his winning account at Wentworth Park on Saturday night from box six.
At his only city start last August, Billy Buzzard (pictured left, with My Signature) missed the jump before zooming into second place at the halfway mark and then fading to finish fourth.
"He is much stronger now," trainer Dave Richardson said.
"He hasn’t lost any of his early dash but is getting to the line better than he was last year.
"Billy Buzzard hurt his groin when he finished seventh in the Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup final at Gosford on January 7 but is fine now.
"I trialled him at Gosford a week ago and he went as fast as he has ever gone.
"There doesn’t appear to be a great deal of early speed in Saturday’s race and I expect him to be the pacemaker.
"He just held off My Signature to win (dead-heat) his heat of the Woy Woy Cup at Gosford on December 31 and after the race I couldn’t believe it when someone pointed out the My Signature had taken ground off my dog.
"I replied that dogs can’t do it at both ends of a race and I’d rather have one that went fast early, and after all he did run 29.75 in that Gosford win."
King Cobber will be a short-priced favourite for race three on Saturday following his brilliant Wentworth Park win on January 17 but Manton Jack is drawn to beat him.
King Cobber exited his favourite draw (box eight) when he won last week but the wide running son of Swift Fancy goes into box three on Saturday.
Manton Jack though is ideally positioned in box one and should be the early leader.
The dog ran a great race at his Wentworth Pak debut on January 10 when he came from box six and chased home Crash Model, who proved the form winning again a week later.
Manton Jack goes into Saturday’s race with an unblemished record from box one.
Earlier this month the Neil Staines-trained dog wore the red rug in wins over 400m at Bulli and 440m at Canberra.
Neil Staines, a former shearer, has only been training professionally for just over two years but has been involved with greyhounds since he began exercising dogs as a 12-year-old for his uncle, the late Fred Staines.
The scratching of My Boy Snoop makes Here’s Skeeta look a safe wager in race two.
Here’s Skeeta recorded a sizzling first split of 5.33 when she led throughout at Wentworth Park on January 10 and was far from disgraced when third to Clair Vision a week later, in a race which was brimming with early speed.
There is likely to be a distinct lack of zip in the charge to the first turn in Saturday night’s event.
Best Bet: Billy Buzzard (Race 5)
Best Value: Manton Jack (Race 3)
Quaddie: Race 5 - 6, 3
Race 6 - 2, 1
Race 7 - 6, 3
Race 8 - 7, 4, 1, 2, 8
$20 for 50%
