Impressive newcomer Leeroy Roller jumps from box one in the third of seven Group 2 Dapto Puppy Auction Classic heats as the three-week series kicks off tonight.
Racing entirely in his native Queensland so far, Leeroy Roller has extended his record to six wins and three minor placings from 11 starts
The son of Collision and Fantasy Royale secured his fourth successive win at Albion Park at his last start on October 26 and Crawford said his greyhound is ready for this series.
Leeroy Roller has been based at Ray and Sharon Webster’s Cawdor kennels in preparation for the series and looks to be set fair for this race.
“He’s had about three weeks down there (in NSW) and has settled in well,” Crawford said. "Ray and Sharon have done a terrific job with him - I really thank them.
“He ran 29.60 last week on his first look out of the boxes and I expect him to go better here under race conditions.
“He’s got the box he wants and he’s looking good.
“You can see he is learning how to race. He goes around other greyhounds, rather than relying on speed.:
Formerly based in western Sydney, Crawford and his wife Jane moved up to a “magnificent” purpose-built training and breeding facility at Buccan in south-east Queensland earlier this year.
“I think perseverance is the key when you move to a new environment,” Crawford said.
“We had a few unplaced runs at first, but we’ve had two winners this week and things are coming together.
“The dogs took a while to settle in but they are happy here now."
South Nowra trainer Judith Fisher has three strong contenders for the Puppy Auction series, with Dokmai (box three, heat one) and Espanyol (box one, heat five) looking her strongest hopefuls.
The pair have already scored a combined 12 wins and are running well.
After this week's heats, the series continues with the semi-finals next Thursday.
The $67,500-to-the-winner final is on Thursday, December 3.
In other Dapto Thursday action, 600m track record holder Fantastic Tail jumps from box four in race six.
Trained by Jason Fletcher, she has been under-par on her last two starts but should be improved from her fourth place at Wentworth Park last week.
For Dapto Thursday fields, form and expert picks, click here.
