Magic Spring has not started from box one but the red rug should not impede Noelene Holloway's sprinter in his quest to ring up win number nine in 13 Wentworth Park starts tonight.
Magic Spring takes on Wentworth Park winners Knight Sprite (six wins), Opus Forte (eight) and Pierro Kade (five) in a star-studded Book Christmas Packages Now Free-For-All.
And while Magic Spring uses a bit of the track and boasts a great record from wide draws, his tally from boxes two and three is not too shabby, standing at four wins from eight appearances.
He only needs to step away as smartly as he usually does to lead throughout on Wednesday, bearing in mind that he posted a near record first split of 5.30 in his all-the-way personal best 29.86 win last week.
Wednesday's Ladbrokes Final for greyhounds with two to five wins is a great sidelight to the top grade sprint but fastest qualifier Lochinvar Holly won't start favourite.
Lochinvar Holly won her heat in 29.69 but Spritely Dancer, who won in 29.85, and slowest qualifier Huckleberry, a 30.20 heat winner, should vie for favouritism.
Spritely Dancer's box one draw is likely to see the Anne Hector-trained greyhound, who is being set for the up-coming Nowra Puppy Classic, sent out the popular elect.
Huckleberry staged a remarkable last-to-first performance to win his heat and the greyhound has already got well under the 30 second barrier in a Wentworth Park trial.
In-form trainer Michael Clayton, who will rug up three of the favourites in the Bob Payne 19/9 Stakes, plumps for Go Ginger Go as his best chance.
Clayton has Buenos Aires in box one, Printers Ink in two and Go Ginger Go in box four.
“A lot depends on who begins best but the way she is racing, if I had a bet, I would be putting my money on Go Ginger Go because I think she is the one most likely to lead,” Clayton said.
“But Printers Ink's fourth placing last start was a lot better run that it looks on paper and if he sat right behind Go Ginger Go he could run her down.”
Virouette makes her Wentworth Park debut in the 280m Adopt A Greyhound Stakes but trainer Ron Lambert believes she is capable of getting down to near record figures of 15.80 or 15.90.
“Based on the first splits she has been running at The Gardens and Gosford Virouette should be able to break 16 seconds, even though she has never seen Wentworth Park,” Lambert said.
“Formerly she tended to sit back in the boxes but now when she hears the lure she comes forward and since doing that she has won four of her past five races.
“I would probably prefer her from an inside alley but she won well from box eight at The Gardens and I don't expect box seven to be a problem for her as long as she begins cleanly.”
Celestial Prince is likely to be the shorter priced of Subawa Ngurah's two starters in Wednesday night's Rapidvite Stakes but the trainer believes his other runner Sovereign Queen is the quicker of the pair.
“Sovereign Queen has just come back from tearing both pin muscles but while Celestial Prince has a perfect draw in box one, she is quicker,” Ngurah said.
“But Sovereign Queen has box four so will need some luck from there.”
For Wentworth Park Wednesday fields, form and expert picks, click here.
Jeff Collerson's Wentworth Park Wednesday tips:
Best Best: Spritely Dancer (Race 6)
Best Value: Printers Ink (Race 7)
Quaddie: Race 5 - 6, 2, 7
Race 6 - 1, 3
Race 7 - 2, 3, 1
Race 8 - 1, 8, 2
$20 for 37.03
