Smart provincial sprinters Expect No Mercy and Peas And Pie have trialled well enough to both win at their first starts at Wentworth Park on Friday night.
The Ray Scully-trained Expect No Mercy has box three in the www.wentworthpark.com.au Stakes while Peas And Pie, prepared by Joe De Freitas, has drawn two in the Sportingbet Sprint Stakes.
Each dog is making his Wentworth Park race debut, but both have hand-slipped at the track in a fast 24.40.
Expect No Mercy has had only one start in 2014, finishing fourth over 400m at Maitland on March 27.
But the dog’s career was interrupted late last year after he was bitten by a bulldog and had to be placed on a drip.
“I had been getting him Ready for the Vic Peters Classic last October when he was attacked by the bulldog,’’ Scully said.
“Then he came back and won at Maitland on Boxing Day and trialled 29.80 at Gosford as well as hand-slipping there in 25.27 and then 25.20.
“Those are smart times because they tell me the record is 24.99.
“Since then Expect No Mercy has slipped 24.40 at Wentworth Park so he should run a good race from his nice draw on Friday.”
The incongruously named Peas And Pie has also recorded a slick 24.40 in a post-to-post slip at Wentworth Park and after the last race on Golden Easter Egg final night last Saturday he was sent from the starting boxes to clock 30.18 for the 520m.
“As that was his first time out of the boxes I was happy with that run,’’ trainer De Freitas said.
“Peas And Pie is no champion but is a keen chaser and has very good mid race acceleration.
“His first split in last Saturday’s trial was 5.41 so unless something drastic goes wrong he should be hard to beat on Friday night.
“When the dog finished second to Bearded Midget at Bulli at his most recent race he finished in front of Midnight Toast who came out and won easily at Wentworth Park next run.’’
Meanwhile, in-form trainers Anthony Azzopardi and Mark Gatt are tipped to land winning doubles at Wentworth Park on Friday night.
Anthony will rug up Ready To Riot in race two and My Boy Snoop in race five, while Mark will be represented by Gradence and Ritza Raider in race six and by Mexico City in race eight.
Ready To Riot bungled the start when sixth at Wentworth Park last Saturday night but only has to repeat her second placing behind Freddy Diesel eight nights earlier to win this week’s easier race.
My Boy Snoop began faster than ever when a powerful 29.82 winner at Wentworth Park on Saturday and will relish having a vacant box on his right in this week’s similar class event.
Although he has won two of his three starts from box one, Ritza Raider is a wide runner who is better suited in boxes seven or eight, from where he has won five of his seven outings.
But the small field will suit kennelmate Gradence (pictured, red rug), who gets back in his races and looks set to storm home and score his seventh 520m Wentworth Park win.
Mexico City’s fastest Wentworth Park time - a blistering 29.58 - is around six lengths quicker than the best figures posted by any of his rivals on Friday and from box one he should be first out and first home.
Best Bet: Mexico City (Race 8)
Best Value: Black Revolver (Race 10)
Quaddie: Race 5 – 4, 1, 3
Race 6 – 4, 7
Race 7 – 3, 6, 2, 1
Race 8 – 1, 7
$20 for 41.66%
