Zip Ya Zipper">Zipper looks ideally drawn to record another notable win at Friday's Wentworth Park meeting.
The greyhound is by far the best performed Wentworth Park contender in Friday night’s Maitland To City Final and is going as well as ever in his bid to score his seventh win in just 22 starts.
This race is part of what should be a cracking night of entertainment, with the likes of I'm Pedro, Zipping Saxon, Winsome Mission (pictured, black rug) and exciting newcomer Black Frenzy in action.
“We gave Zip Ya Zipper a hit-out up the straight on Sunday afternoon and he went as quickly as he ever has," Robert Howard, whose wife Natina owns and trains Zip Ya Zipper, said.
“Zip Ya Zipper is not a brilliant beginner but he usually gets away reasonably well and has enough early speed to be up near the lead on Friday.
“Box three looks good providing the dogs on his outside don’t cut down on him.
“If he is left alone in the run to the first turn he should be hard to beat.’’
Zip Ya Zipper has won two of his three Wentworth Park starts while his seven rivals have notched just two city wins between them.
None has equalled Zip Ya Zipper’s fastest Wentworth Park time of 30.03 either.
It’s hard to see Zip Ya Zipper finding any trouble on Friday as the greyhounds drawn in boxes one, two and four are slow beginners.
Aphorism">Aphorism, a last-minute entry for Friday night’s Wentworth Park meeting, should give owner-trainer Shaun Evans a $3500 windfall by taking out the Ladies Bracelet Giveaway May 2 Stakes.
Aphorism has box five but Evans does not believe the draw will be a problem.
“He will run pretty straight from the boxes to the first turn,’’ Evans said.
“Aphorism can handle any box as long as the dogs drawn around him don’t interfere with him.
“He was due to start at Bulli on Wednesday night but when I realised that meeting was certain to be washed out I sent a nomination in for Wentworth Park."
Aphorism led throughout to beat Wuxi at his most recent start, at Bulli on April 15, and that greyhound proved the form with a sizzling all-the-way win at Wentworth Park last week.
Wuxi only has to begin with the same dash to complete a winning double in Friday night’s first Blue Paws Stakes.
Trainer Luke Azzopardi has always ranked Wuxi on a par with his brilliant sprinter Opus Fort but until last week she had not “put it all together’’ at Wentworth Park.
Bulletproof Esky, better known as a stayer, surprised keen judges with a blistering 29.81 winning performance at Wentworth Park on Monday night and is boxed to repeat the effort in Friday night’s Rapidvite Final.
Bulletproof Esky’s fast time came as no surprise to trainer Walter Simmons, who pointed out that the dog had trialled a personal best 22.40 over 400m at Maitland in the lead-up to last Monday’s race.
“Before he finished second at his Wentworth Park debut, over 720m in late December, Bulletproof Esky clocked 29.90 in a 520m trial at that track,’’ Simmons said.
Paua To Roar, fresh from a successful hit-and-run Brisbane trip, is boxed to send punters home on a winning note in the Blue Paws Stakes.
Paua To Roar led throughout from box eight at Albion Park on April 16 but moves into his favourite box (number one) on Friday.
The Steve White-trained greyhound has won three of his four races wearing the red rug and on Friday night his main rival, Bertacious Bee, has drawn awkwardly.
Bertacious Bee is a wide runner so is not well positioned in box three.
For Wentworth Park friday fields, form and expert picks, click here.
Jeff Collerson's Wentworth Park Friday tips:
Best Bet: Zip Ya Zipper (Race 4)
Best Value: Droopy’s Bay (Race 3)
Quaddie: Race 5 – 8, 2, 4
Race 6 – 5, 6, 3
Race 7 - 5, 3
Race 8 – 1, 2, 3
$20 for 37.03%
