Buckle Up Wes is poised to become the first Tasmanian greyhound to win the Golden Easter Egg after drawing the prized rails box in Saturday night’s draw at Wentworth Park.
The Ted Medhurst-trained dog (pictured) was beaten into second place by Magic Display in Saturday night’s third semi-final but was hampered slightly at the first turn and chased the winner all the way to go down by only a half length.
Considering Magic Display’s first split of 5.36 was the fastest of the semi-finals and Buckle Up Wes moves from box four last Saturday to box one in the final, he is sure to be sent out a warm favourite.
After the draw Ted Medhurst, Tasmania’s leading trainer for three decades, said: "Box one is where you want to be in a race like this.
"I had a bitch named Maui which made a Golden Easter Egg final when trained in Sydney by Don McMillan on my behalf, but she was a rank outsider who realistically had no hope.
"It’s a bit different with Buckle Up Wes."
Magic Display’s trainer Evelyn Harris did not want box one but after hoping for box three, her brilliant front-runner, whose favourite track is Wentworth Park, drew five.
"Magic Display won her Easter Egg heat and semi-final from box three so I wanTed that draw again," Evelyn said.
"Good beginners can miss the kick from box one at Wenty so I definitely did not want the rails draw with her."
Fastest qualifier Evil Punk’s prospects were dealt a blow when the desperate railer came up with box six in the final.
Already the runner-up in this year’s National Derby, Richmond Derby and The Collerson, Evil Punk has proved himself an iron dog simply by making the final.
The dog fell heavily at Wentworth Park on March 22 and then, when leading clearly in his Golden Easter Egg heat on April 5, he caught the malfunctioning lure and took another bad tumble.
A similar incident last year ruined the Wentworth Park future of Jagger Swagger, ultimately the joint NSW Greyhound of the Year for 2013.
Jagger Swagger, like most greyhounds, remembered the bad experience with the lure and "switched off" in subsequent Wentworth Park starts, while racing as well as ever on other tracks.
But not so Evil Punk, who ignored his successive falls at Wentworth Park in March and April to set the time standard for this Saturday’s 25th running of NSW’s richest race.
As expecTed before the heats Victorian greyhounds dominate the Easter Egg final, with Andrea Dailly qualifying with Ollie Bale, Jordan Allen and Hawk Alone, and Brooke Ennis to be represenTed by Tonk and Warrior King.
The box draw for the Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg is: 1. Buckle Up Wes 2. Tonk 3. Ollie Bale 4. Warrior King 5. Magic Display 6. Evil Punk 7. Jordan Allen 8. Hawk Alone 9. Ritza Hattie 10. Hurrican Rino
