Ron Ball, the champion Queensland trainer who steered Flying Amy to a National Sprint Championship win in 1995, will use Friday night’s Wentworth Park meeting to assess this year’s Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg prospects of three of his top sprinters.
Ron is bringing four greyhounds on the 14 hour journey to Sydney and three, Rascal Flash, Bellagio Lad and Swift Opulence, clash in race six.
"They can all run but let’s be honest, they need to race exceptionally well to be worth bringing back to Wentworth Park for the Easter Egg heats on April 5," Ron said yesterday.
"Bellagio Lad turned four in November but is still racing well and clocked a smart 34.99 finishing second over 600 metres at Albion Park on February 20.
"He has the advantage of having raced at Wentworth Park as he broke 30 seconds finishing third to Lektra Johnson in an Easter Egg heat in 2012.
"But the way they are boxed on Friday I would nominate Rascal Flash, who has box one, as the pick of my three.
"She has been going extra well around Albion Park while Bellagio Lad has box four and Swift Opulence, who is also a very good bitch, has box seven.
"If this race was at Albion Park I’d be confident about Rascal Flash but she and Swift Opulence have never seen Wentworth Park and racing at Wenty is a lot different to competing on their home track.
"I also have Flick Pass in race three and while he is much better than his form suggests he would be better suited closer to the rails than in box eight."
Magic Marlow is a much better dog now than when he missed a place at his Wentworth Park debut on November 8 and trainer Allan Woodward believes that with a clean start the dog will lead throughout there on Friday night.
Magic Marlow has box one in race four, a Maitland To Wentworth Park Final, and goes into the race as clearly the fastest qualifier following a slick 25.37 all the way heat win.
The dog missed the jump but showed good speed out wide to be third in the middle stages before fading out of a place at his only Wentworth Park appearance.
"He is jumping better now and I expect him to lead all the way and make full use of box one if he begins cleanly," Allan said.
"I had trouble with Magic Marlow early in his career through the boxes failing to open in a race at Maitland.
"We had to pull the dogs out of the back of the boxes and when they were returned to the start Magic Marlow came out terribly.
"He missed the kick at his next few starts but seems to have put that behind him at last and has jumped in front to win his past two races."
The other Maitland heat winner Hardaway Raider looks Magic Marlow’s main danger as while his heat time was 0.38sec slower than his arch rival’s his heat was run during pouring rain.
Hardaway Raider boasts a wonderful strike rate of 13 wins and 14 placings from 37 starts but unlike Magic Marlow he has not raced at Wentworth Park.
Best value bet on Friday should be the consistent Cawbourne Bugsy, who has been placed in seven of her nine Wentworth Park races.
She is well positioned in box seven in race one and has not produced a better performance than her last start third to Winsome Tommy and Mrs Duncan last Saturday night.
Last week Cawbourne Bugsy began well but was beaten for early pace and checked before being severely hampered going through the catching pen only to make up a tremendous amount of ground to finish three lengths from the winner.
Hayden Hair is a 720m rookie in race five but it is worth noting he defeated Suits Us and Za’ma Beauty, a pair of proven Wentworth Park long distance greyhounds, when he led throughout and held them at bay in a 600m event at Gosford on February 4.
Best Bet: Jawlaa (Race 3)
Best Value: Cawbourne Bugsy (Race 1)
Quaddie: Race 5 – 2, 1, 5
Race 6 – 4, 1, 6
Race 7 – 2, 5
Race 8 – 5, 4, 6
$20 for 37.03%
