Kristy Sultana’s wonderfully consistent Are Jip (pictured) set the time standard of 29.61 but it was fellow trainer Anthony Azzopardi’s performance to win three of the six heats which set Wentworth Park abuzz on Ladbrokes Vic Peters Classic heats night.
Azzopardi won with Shoulders in 29.77 and followed up by taking out additional heats with Zipping Tank in 29.86 and Cosmic Angel in a surprisingly quick 29.62.
Other heat winners were John Finn’s Anything Less in 29.75 and the Charlie Lamb-trained Lucy Lobster in 29.92.
Are Jip’s sixth win in nine Wentworth Park starts was special for Sultana, a former Young Trainer of the Year award winner, as she bred the black dog from her former smart race bitch Monique’s Doll.
Monique’s Doll won five of her first nine starts but had a brief career on the track and was retired after just two dozen races.
While Shoulders was widely expected to win, Azzopardi showed rare acumen to win with his two lesser lights, Zipping Tank and Cosmic Angel.
Both were resuming from a break but Azzopardi said he had deliberately given the pair time off to prepare for the heats.
"I didn’t want to risk Zipping Tank and Cosmic Angel getting knocked about in races leading up to the heats so took a gamble and threw them into their races extra fresh," Azzopardi said at Wentworth Park.
"Shoulders was coming off a run at Sandown nine days earlier but that had been forced upon me because I needed to run him in a Melboune Cup Prelude before the cup heats next month."
Anything Less, trained by Finn for Victorian owner-breeder Glenn Rounds, was again impressive in giving brilliant speedster Lady Ronray a big start and a beating.
Anything Less was sixth to leave the starting boxes but accelerated around his rivals to be third in the middle stages before hitting the front on the home turn.
Virtually all of the big names nominated for the Ladbrokes Vic Peters Classic qualified for next Saturday’s three semi-finals and there were some impressive performances by beaten runners in the heats.
Expect improvement from Anything Less’ litter brother All Strung Out, who was third to Shoulders, from Frattini, who was making her Wentworth Park debut when second in Anything Less’ heat, and from Xtreme Knocka, who had no luck when runner-up in Cosmic Angel’s heat.
Prior to the heats, Frattini had trialled 29.60 at Wentworth Park, running home in a startling 11.59, so is capable of winning her semi-final while trainer Glenn Rounds expects All Strung Out to strip fitter in the semi-finals.
Bessy Boo, who took out the Group 1 Peter Mosman Classic earlier this year, notched his ninth Wentworth Park win and took his earnings to more than $144,000 in Saturday night’s Free-For-All.
The notoriously slow beginner worked his way into fourth place on the back straight before hitting the front on the home turn to score by two lengths in 29.79, just 0.08 outside his personal best.
After the race, trainer Christine Proctor was in awe of Bessy Boo.
"I’ll never get another greyhound as good as him," Proctor said.
"You often get dogs which are very smart when they can get on the bunny and lead but are no good when they get back in the pack.
"But Bessy Boo is a phenomenal chaser, it doesn’t matter how back he is, he always tries so hard."
See you next week!
