A slick 16.90 trial over 297m at Dapto indicates Black's A Marble is set to make a triumphant return to Wentworth Park.
The Merv Buckley owned, trained and bred greyhound, who has won four of 10 appearances at Wentworth Park and who clocked 29.98 there on January 2, has been sidelined through splitting the webbing on a foot.
"I was preparing him for the National Derby heats on January 23 when Black's A Marble suffered that setback," Buckley said. "It has taken a while to heal, but on Thursday I trialled Black's A Marble over the short course at Dapto and he went quicker than the winner of the main 297m event on that night's programme.
"I also sent his kennelmate Megsie Marble over 520m there in a performance trial on Thursday and she won in 29.82.
"That time really pleased me because it was Megsie Marble's first test over that distance.
"She actually broke in faster than Black's A Marble but he is a real race dog, smart and tough, and has won nine of his 19 starts.''
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The Jason Thompson-trained Aston Bolero and Black Frenzy were surprisingly bundled out of the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg in Saturday night's Wentworth Park heats but they will return to NSW for the heats of the Group 2 Maitland Cup on March 31.
Meanwhile, Berzerk and Aston Ebert, who have won 26 races between them in Victoria, are set to be transferred from Thompson's kennels to those of top NSW trainer Jason Mackay.
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For The Girls, who won at Bulli on Friday night at her first start for seven months, is a miracle greyhound.
At four months of age For The Girls just managed to survive a bout of dread parvo virus, which killed five of her litter siblings.
"She was wafer thin and I didn't expect her to pull though but she is obviously a little battler,'' owner-trainer Chris Nutt said.
"I named her For The Girls as in a way she is racing on behalf of her sisters who passed away.''
