Returning star pup Winsome Prince, recent Group 3 Devonport Cup winner Dark Vito and Group 3 Christmas Gift placegetter Jumble are among the contenders for this Saturday’s Group 1 National Derby (520m) Heats.
Six Heats are taking place at Wentworth Park and with the three-week series offering $75,000 to the winner, some exciting action is in prospect.
Winsome Prince (pictured) will be among the favourites but will be attempting to rediscover winning form after at the Sydney track on his last start.
Melinda Finn’s star chaser, who has won 13 of his 15 starts, goes from box seven in the first Heat.
Jason Mackay’s handy newcomer Zipping Saxon and Jason Magri’s Bad Boy Sniper look the strongest opposition here.
The second Heat features Christine Oldfield’s handy newcomer Sokyo and Victorian Fernando Bale, who ran a good third behind eventual champion Dyna Villa in his Paws of Thunder Heat at Wentworth Park.
Heat four features Mackay’s Zipping Eastwood and Anthony Azzopardi’s Topper Road, who have both run sub-30 seconds for the 520m at Wentworth Park.
Dark Vito, who has 10 wins from 19 starts, heads what looks a cracking fourth Heat.
The race also features last Saturday's Paws of Thunder finalist Whittaker, 2014 Group 1 Vic Peters Classic runner-up Anything Less and Steve White’s in-form Rare Pearl.
White also has impressive newcomer Paua To Roar going in Heat five alongside Mackay’s impressive Zipping Oscar, recent Gosford Cup finalist Are Jip and another of the stars from Finn’s kennels, Winsome Jacko.
Jumble goes in the sixth Heat alongside yet another of Finn’s boom greyhounds, Winsome Mission.
Mackay’s Zipping Sonny, who has won three from six starts including a sparkling 29.81 run at Wentworth Park last Friday, also goes here.
This Heat also features perhaps the biggest danger of the entire series, Crackerjack Max.
The Victorian chaser, from the renowned Dailly kennels, may not have drawn favourably in box eight here but ran a superb 29.79 in preparation for the Derby last week at the Sydney track.
Male greyhounds whelped on or after July 1, 2012 are eligible for the Derby series, which continues with semi-finals next Saturday night.
The final is on Saturday, February 7.
For Wentworth Park Saturday fields, click here.
