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Tiny Aurora Fire finished third at her only Wentworth Park appearance but trainer Mark Moroney believes she is a much better greyhound going into Friday night's Gosford To Wentworth Park Final (520m).
Aurora Fire, fastest qualifier with a brilliant 29.73 heat win at Gosford on June 16, is ideally positioned in box one.
"When she ran third from box seven at Wentworth Park on May 11 Aurora Fire had only just returned to racing after a seasonal spell,'' Moroney said.
"She is a lot better in herself now and box one looks a great draw for her.
"Her only flaw is that she can miss the jump occasionally, once in a while she will come out sideways, but when she nails the start she can show terrific early speed.
"The greyhounds in boxes two and three don't appear to have a lot of early pace so if Aurora Fire can begin as well as I know she can she should be the early leader.''
One trainer who wasn't hoping for an inside box on Friday night is Brad Barber, who has wide running Billysoar">Billysoar in box seven in the Ladbrokes Visa Card Stakes.
Billysoar recorded a brilliant 29.84 in a 520m stewards' trial at Wentworth Park last Friday night but while his three wins have been from boxes three, five and six, Barber likes to see his dog drawn wide.
"He is going better than he has ever gone and has finally got his box,'' Barber said of Billysoar's prospects. "He just has to come out cleanly to be hard to beat.
"Having said that, if Mark Gatt's Private Road is anywhere near the leaders on the back straight, she will blow them all away.''
Private Road, who has drawn box four, has run a blistering 29.87 at Wentworth Park but her lack of early speed is a concern, with her best recent form being over longer distances than Friday night's 520m.
While Private Road will be favourite her kennelmate More In Store looks a safe wager in the 720m AAA Radiator Specialists Stakes.
More In Store was heavily backed at her Wentworth Park 720m debut last Saturday night and was far from disgraced in finishing fourth to Laugh With Mary in a fast 42.18.
After bungling the start, More In Store collided at the first turn and was back in fifth position with just under a lap to go.
She was hampered again when in fourth place on the back straight and ran home resolutely to beat all but the placegetters.
She has a dream box on Friday night, drawing box one inside a pair of extremely wide runners in Amy Parker and Zipping Spike in two and three respectively.
Good value on Friday night is the speedy Toe Punt, who has box two in the wentworthpark.com.au Stakes.
Toe Punt won first up at Wentworth Park in a moderate 30.52 on May 11 but after a smart win and a second at Gosford was a luckless fifth to My Boy Brodie last Friday night.
He found trouble from box eight and is far better positioned near the rails this week.
For Wentworth Park Friday fields, form and expert picks, click here.
Jeff Collerson's Wentworth Park Friday picks:
Best Bet: More In Store (Race 5)
Best Value: Toe Punt (race 1)
Quaddie: Race 5 - 1, 4
Race 6 - 6, 5, 8
Race 7 - 7, 5, 1
Race 8 - 2, 1, 4
$20 for 37.03%
