Sydney Swain trained 2003 Golden Easter Egg winner Cyrus The Virus but declared Goldengrove Lad, his entry for the 2016 series, as a faster greyhound after his kennel star posted a brilliant 29.77 winning run at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Goldengrove Lad led throughout from box one to win a fourth and fifth grade 520m event by five lengths, running home in a powerful 11.63.
Those run home figures equalled those posted by Ritza Rossi, who recorded the night's fastest time of 29.75 in notching his eighth Wentworth Park win in a later fifth grade event.
"Goldengrove Lad would have beaten Cyrus The Virus 'two out' because Cyrus could not run the solo trial times my current dog can clock,'' Swain said. "Cyrus The Virus was a superior race dog because he had more early speed than Goldengrove Lad.
"Cyrus The Virus drew box eight in his heat, semi-final and final of the Easter Egg and that suited him perfectly.
"Goldengrove Lad is desperate for the rails so I'm a realist and he will probably need three successive box ones if he is going to have any hope of giving me a second Easter Egg!''
Trainer Michael Nicolaou attributed outsider Track Master's runaway win in a personal best 30.03 on Saturday night to his greyhound timing the start to perfection.
"Lately Track Master has, on occasions, gone up with the lids when the boxes open,'' Nicolaou said. "That's what he did when he finished seventh at Wentworth Park at his previous start on February 27, he misjudged the jump completely.
"He was going forward just when the boxes opened (tonight) and was able to lead all the way.''
Track Master is a son of Nicolaou's former handy sprinter Catch The Post, who won seven of 71 starts.
"Track Master is by Cosmic Rumble and I have another litter by that dog from Catch The Post who are yet to race but are showing promise,'' Nicolaou said.
Tiny Dokmai showed she has taken no harm from a tumble in the Dapto Puppy Auction Classic final in December with an impressive all-the-way win in Saturday night's Free For All.
Dokmai outpaced National Derby winner Magic Spring in the run to the first turn and then held off a late challenge by To A Tee to win by three quarters of a length in 30.22.
"She is only little but is all heart and is all business when I take her to the races,'' said trainer Judy Fisher after her 26kg midget scored her 10th win in 21 starts. "I just wish I had a kennel full like her."
While Magic Spring finished down the course in Dokmai's race, One Samuel ended the night on a bright note for the Derby winner's trainer Noelene Holloway when he led throughout in 29.77.
One Samuel had not broken 30 seconds in 14 previous Wentworth Park outings but on Saturday night won like all odds-on favourites should, proving that he was indeed a certainty beaten when second at Wentworth Park a week earlier.
