Zipping Wilow produced a 12th win in 13 Wentworth Park races this year while Victoria’s wonder stayer Sweet It Is (pictured) recorded a near track record performance at a brilliant night of racing at Wentworth Park on Saturday.
Zipping Willow, who has tasted defeat at Wentworth Park just once in 2014, took her tally at the track to 19 wins from 25 starts when she again burned off a top notch line-up in the Ladbrokes.com.au Stakes.
Her first section was a sizzling 5.31 but it was her second and third splits of 13.49 and 17.59 which set new time standards while her overall figures of 29.52 were wide of her personal best 29.35.
Sweet It Is (pictured) seems to have this week’s Schweppes Summer Cup at her mercy after her 13 lengths heat win on Saturday night in 41.55, a mere .02sec outside the track record set by Xylia Allen on April 12.
But experts on Saturday night agreed that the stayer's performance had more merit because the track was “on fire’’ in April and was certainly a tad slower on Saturday.
Bruce Fletcher, whose wife trains Whittaker, one of Saturday’s other exciting winners, said: “I reckon that time by Sweet It Is tonight is the equivalent of a 41.30 run on Golden Easter Egg night, when they always have the track lightning fast.’’
Bought by Braden Finn for $95,000 early this year, Sweet It Is has now amassed $600,565 and will boost this by $25,000 if she wins next Saturday night’s Cup final.
Punters accustomed to seeing Sweet It Is at the rear of the field were stunned to see her in second spot with a lap to go and when she was so close everyone at the track knew the course record was in jeopardy.
Sweet It Is has drawn box two in the final and while trainer Darren McDonald was hoping for box eight he won’t be too concerned.
“I was really pleased with the way she came from box one and pushed Zipping Rory, who had box two, out of the way at the first turn,’’ McDonald said after the heats.
McDonald made the 1- hour drive from his kennels on race day and left to complete the return trip immediately after Sweet It Is had won on Saturday night.
Top local trainer Jason Magri, who assisted McDonald on Saturday night, was in awe of Sweet It Is after the near record heat win.
“A few minutes after the race she looked ready to go around again,’’ an astonished Magri said.
Whittaker took his record to seven wins from 11 starts with a blistering 29.81 performance on Saturday night with Bruce Fletcher conceding a rails run at the first turn was “handy’’ for wife Julie’s greyhound.
“In his Dapto wins Whittaker’s run home times have been second only to those recorded by Double Twist,’’ Fletcher said.
“This dog does it so easily and the way he races he looks as if he will make a top notch stayer, although he probably won’t.’’
Castlereagh trainer Jason Laurence landed his first Saturday night winner at Wentworth Park when Jeffy Gee led throughout in the Bohemia Crystal Stakes.
“I’ve been training for six years and while I have had winners at Monday and Friday meetings this is the first in prime time,’’ Laurence said.
“Jeffy Gee trialled 30.20 after the last race at Wenty on Sunday so I was pleased with his 30.11 run tonight, especially as I was a bit worried about him being in a late race.
“He tends to play up in the kennels so is better suited in an earlier event.’’
Victory Belle will tackle the $10,000 to the winner Newcastle Cup at The Gardens next month following her emphatic win over 720m at WP on Saturday night.
Owner-trainer Greg Adamthwaite, a Newcastle waterfront worker who bred the greyhound, said Victory Belle “loves The Gardens.’’
His bitch’s first city win on Saturday has gone a long way to easing the disappointment he encountered with Victory Belle’s dam Diamondo, a litter sister to Brett May’s National Futurity winner Daydream.
“I sent Diamondo up north to DAVE Irwin to be trained and it wasn’t long before he called to tell me he had a potential world-beater on his hands,’’ Adamthwaite said on Saturday.
“A week later it all came crashing down when DAVE phoned again to say Diamondo had smashed a hock and was finished as a racing proposition.’’
Box draw for the Summer Cup final is: 1 Beks 2 Sweet It Is 3 Dusty Moonshine 4 Greta’s Rescue 5 Joane 6 Avondale Maurick 7 Zipping Rory 8 Zipping Maggie.
See you next week!
