Renowned owner and breeder Paul Wheeler is in line to win back-to-back Macro Meats Golden Easter Eggs on Saturday night where he has two of the finalists taking part. But it is one of his favourite greyhounds in another Group 1 final that has him most excited.
Wheeler believes his superstar sprinter-cum-stayer Xylia Allen could once again break the Wentworth Park 720m track record in this Saturday night's Group 1 AAA Radiator Specialists Association Cup.
In her heat win last week, Xylia Allen lowered the record of 41.74 set last month by Dyna Willow to a new time of 41.53. Incredibly, Xylia Allen also set a new record of 15.84 for the 280m track record.
"That was her first step up to the 720m since she's become a stayer and greyhounds always generally tend to improve on their performances with more experience," Wheeler said.
"Sometimes their first run at a distance like that can flatten them a bit, but I think she is good enough to overcome it.
"I think she's more than capable of breaking the track record again but it will depend on a few things.
"She'll have to come out without any interference like in the heat and box two should help her there.
"The track will also need to be to the standard it was last week."
In early 2013, Xylia Allen made her first attempt to move up into the staying ranks but after a series of disappointing results a decision was made to revert back to sprint races.
Despite the disappointing results, Wheeler admits that he always believed she could do well as stayer given the right circumstances.
"She had an attempt at distance racing a little while ago but her preparation for it was very prompt and probably didn't go far enough," he said.
"People sort of boo-hooed that attempt then, but in reality she was actually run down by Miata.
"So I believe for the amount of preparation she had, her first attempt back then was actually pretty good in my eyes.
"This time she's a lot more mature and we have given her the right amount of preparation and allowed her to gradually build up to the longer distances.
"I think those differences is what has allowed her to go on and break track records like she has been doing in the past few weeks."
While Wheeler admits he is delighted when any of his greyhounds win, Xylia Allen holds a special place in the owner's heart.
"The thing that is most rewarding with Xylia Allen is the fact that she is out of one of our own females and one of our own sires," he said.
"So she is 100% bred out of our kennels and to see what she has achieved is just fantastic."
Saturday at Wentworth Park is shaping up to be a big night for Wheeler who also has Ollie Bale and Jordan Allen lining up in the Group 1 Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg final.
Wheeler is confident that both his greyhounds will put in competitive performances but is wary that the race will throw up some challenges for all the greyhounds.
"Wentworth Park is a very difficult track to predict what will happen. The amount of interference a greyhound cops there is probably one of the highest at any track in the country," Wheeler states.
"There are four or five dogs in the field that you could throw a blanket over at the end of race if none of them get interfered with.
"I think what it is going to come down to is who is able to get the clean break at the start and make it around first turn safely."
Wheeler believes that Ollie Bale who will jump from box three in the final is his best chance in the race but thinks that the chaser will have to be smart in the race to avoid trouble.
"I honestly believe that it will be better for Ollie Bale to sit behind the likes of Buckle Up Wes, Evil Punk and Magic Display and steer clear of the interference that is probably going to happen at the front of the pack," he said.
"He should then hopefully get a clean run under them and push to the front. Whether he's good enough to do that is a whole other thing."
Wheeler is more realistic about Jordan Allen's chances in the race but still holds out hope that the greyhound could win given the opportunity.
"I think Jordan Allen is probably one of the long shots in the race but he is in there and with these big races anything can happen," he said.
"It depends how the race is run and if it is run to suit Jordan Allen, I'm sure he's more than capable of winning it if he puts on his best performance."
Wheeler won last year’s Golden Easter Egg with Grigorieva Bale hopes to add to his collection this year.
"Even though I've already won it once, it's still a thrill to have runners in it," he said.
"Races like the (Golden) Easter Egg and the Melbourne Cup are always a privilege to be involved in
"I'll be driving four hours to get there, but I'm going to be there cheering all my dogs on.
"These type of nights is where I get most of my enjoyment from these days. For the past 20 years I have focused on breeding and rearing greyhounds and having them track-ready.
"So when I get to see the end result of them out there on the track doing their thing it's special.
"To get five runners into two separate Group 1 finals on the same night is far effort from the kennel and a result of how much work we put in here."
