Mark Gatt will line up four runners in the final of the Group 2 Eco Friendly Building Systems Richmond Derby on Saturday night after he achieved the astonishing feat of training three of the four heat winners.
Gatt will have Boyce Road, Red Road, Ritza Raider and Ritza Ryder in the $40,000 to-the-winner event, with the Thirlmere-based trainer believing each has a chance of winning the race.
There has to be a winner of the race though and Gatt believes his best hope for the final is Red Road, who took out the final heat in 30.33, the second fastest time of the night.
Gatt expects Red Road to improve on his solid heat performance in the final where he has drawn box one.
"He did really well in his heat. There was a line of three going into the first turn and he was stuck out three deep and I just hoped he wouldn't come in too early but he handled it perfectly," he said.
"Once he crossed safely from the six and came in it was all over.
"He's boxed better for the final than he was on Saturday and although he came out alright, he can do much better.
"I'm hoping he can really nail the start from the inside in the final. He's got the most pace out of the four and he's got box one, so he kind of picks himself."
Ritza Raider won the first heat of the night in 30.51 and Gatt believes he ran well.
"I was impressed with the way he jumped. He came out the best he ever has," he said.
"He won it the hard way though. He had to sit on the outside of a dog for the entire way before finally hitting the front in the home straight.
"He's a good little chaser and he's drawn perfectly in eight for the final, so he'll definitely be a chance."
In the second heat of the night, Ritza Ryder the kennel veteran ran a gallant second to the fastest qualifier Evil Punk who won in a time of 30.29.
Despite coming second, Gatt takes a lot out Ritza Ryder's run.
"Evil Punk is a really good dog but he managed to stick with him the whole way and post a solid time of 30.47," he said.
"He was just too good for Ritza Ryder on the day, but there were some real positives from his run."
Despite being the oldest in the field for the final, Gatt believes Ritza Ryder should not be discounted.
"Box two is his favourite box, so we couldn't have asked for a better draw with him," he said.
"He's probably going to give a little bit away at the start in the final, but if there's a little bit of a scrimmage, he'll be there.
"He's going as good as ever, despite his age and I really think he could be a chance."
Boyce Road (pictured) took out the third heat of the night in a time of 30.38 despite a tardy start. Gatt hopes that the greyhound won't repeat his start in the final.
"I'll just have to hope he doesn't do it again this Saturday. He does know how to begin, so I won't do any box work with him this week," he said.
"Even though he did have a bad start, he exploded around the first turn and ran a really good race from there. If he can get a good start and run the same way in the final, he will get his chance."
Despite drawing awkwardly in box five, Gatt doesn't believe box five will be an issue for Boyce Road.
"I actually think box five will be alright for him. All the speed is on his inside but they all go in, whereas Boyce Road goes straight," he said.
"It really isn't as bad draw as it seems."
Gatt is looking forward to the final on Saturday night and believes it will be a very even race.
"I think if you wanted to box the race to make it the cleanest run possible, you probably couldn't have done a better job if you'd picked it yourself."
The box draw for the Richmond Derby is: 1. Red Road 2. Ritza Ryder 3. Evil Punk 4. Manyana Groper 5. Boyce Road 6. Romantic Affair 7. Calamity Trigger 8. Ritza Raider 9. Bessy Boo 10. Topper Harley
