The best sprinters in Australia will descend onto Wentworth Park Saturday night for the heats of the most prestigious race in greyhound racing – the Golden Easter Egg.
Top NSW stars Ritza Hattie and Chica Destacada (pictured) are among the nominations for this year’s series, together with Victorian stars My Bro Fabio and last Friday night’s Richmond Derby winner Quasi Bale.
Also among the 103 nominations for the heats is in-form Zipping Abby, who maintained her storming recent run with a second-place finish at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Her recent fine record at the track includes two wins in 29.66 and 29.74 and trainer Ron Seymour is delighted to have a potential crack at the $250,000-to-the-winner race.
“My word I am,” he said. “It’s good to have a greyhound good enough to compete in a race like this.
“I think she has had four wins and five minor placings from 11 starts at Wentworth Park. She has a great record there.
“The only problem is her starts. She has not been coming out of the boxes recently – I don’t know why.
“(But) if she can get an outside draw she will be more than competitive, even against this class of field.”
A daughter of Spring Gun, Zipping Abby has seven wins and eight minor placings from 17 starts and could be a decent roughie chance if she gets a run.
Most of the best greyhounds from across the country have been nominated for this year’s series.
Luca Neveelk, winner of the recent Australian Cup, will also carry the Victorian hopes alongside the likes of fellow Group winners Dyna Double One and this year's National Derby winner Fernando Bale.
Other interstate hopefuls include WA’s Australian Cup runner-up Quartz Bale.
SA hopefuls include Boojerooma, winner of last year’s Group 3 Howard Ashton, and recent Group 3 Gawler Cup victor Gun McBain.
Other NSW notables include in-form Bad Boy Sniper, Melinda Finn’s duo Winsome Prince and Winsome Mission and the flying Spacecraft.
Nominations for the Golden Easter Egg will be decided later this afternoon.
Ten heats take place this Saturday, with the semi-finals being staged seven days later.
This year’s series will be supported by a number of other quality races.
This includes the Group 1 Association Cup (720m), the Group 3 Magic Maiden (520m), the Group 3 Ambrosoli (520m) and the Listed Ultra Sense (520m).
This year will also see the third staging of the New Sensation (520m), which is open to greyhounds aged 27 months or older.
Action will conclude with a fantastic finals night on Saturday, April 4.
