Hooksy will look to stamp his status as the most promising sprinter in Australia when he lines up in a heat of the Group 2 Berwick Mazda Harrison-Dawson at Sandown Park tonight.
Trained by Tanya Auld, Hooksy (pictured) has won eight races in a row in convincing style, including the Group 3 Macro Meats New Sensation at Wentworth Park in April.
Tonight he will step up to Group 2 level and if his performances of late are any indication the son of Hondo Black is right up to the challenge.
His handler, Jim Auld, said while he has been impressed with Hooksy, he still thinks he has a way to go before being considered one of the best sprinters in Australia.
"It's a big wrap for the dog when people say things like that. I think he's heading that way but I don't think he's quite there yet," Jim said.
"He's still young and he has a lot to prove. This series will be a very good test for him.
"He'll be up against really experienced dogs who have been doing their thing for a long time and he'll have to deal with them.
"The likes of Black Magic Opal and Red Road are going to be tough competition for him. The thing with those type of star greyhounds is that they just get out there and lead and you can't make any mistakes behind them or you won't catch them.”
Auld believes Hooksy is a winning chance on Thursday night where he will jump from box six in heat two.
"He'll need to find the front to be any chance of winning the heat and then we'll just have to wait and see what happens with the make-up of the final if he makes it," he said.
"His four wins at Sandown have been in excellent times. He seems to really like the track and goes really well there whenever he has a run."
Auld said if Hooksy does well in the Harrison-Dawson series, he would be aimed at the Peter Mosman Classic series at Wentworth Park in June.
"At first I wasn't actually going to put him in this series and just aim him straight for the Peter Mosman but when I saw how he went last week I decided to let him have a crack at it," he said.
"It's a $100,000 race, so you'd be stupid not to at least consider it.
"It's all in the lap of the gods now but as long as he pulls up well from these races, we'll be heading to the Peter Mosman next."
