Despite breaking a track record last week, Miss Foxy Lee is no good thing to take out tonight’s Toledo Trailers Distance Championship final in Canberra, according to her trainer Dean Swain.
Last week in her heat, Miss Foxy Lee, having her first middle distance start, rocketed over the 600m in 34.18, easily bettering the previous record of 34.33 held by the greyhound Evidence.
Ironically the Mark Bell-trained Evidence and Swain's Miss Foxy Lee are each owned by central coast breeder Lorraine Atchison.
“If Miss Foxy Lee had drawn boxes one or two in the final I would not hear of her being beaten,'' Swain said.
“But the Canberra 600m boxes are on a corner and drawing box seven on a bend start can never be good.
“I still think Miss Foxy Lee can win because Ritza Rossi, in box six, does not have much early speed, Quasi Bale in five is usually a moderate beginner, and White Bandit, who has box four, is a front runner who rails well.
“If she jumps like she did last week she will win but I'm not over confident.”
After tonight's race Swain plans to freshen Miss Foxy Lee up for a return to 520m racing in heats of the Group 1 Peter Mosman Classic series at Wentworth Park on June 4.
“It's an age restricted race and as Miss Foxy Lee will be among the oldest and most experienced entries she deserves a crack at the Peter Mosman,” Swain said.
“After that I will switch her back to middle distance racing, hoping to build her up to 720 metres long distance events. f she can stay 720m Miss Foxy Lee could be another National Lass, the great front running stayer who won the NSW Greyhound of the Year awards in 1984 and 1985.”
Swain has a fine second stringer in today's Canberra race with Joybell Magic, who has drawn ideally in box one.
“She is not in the same class as Miss Foxy Lee, but Joybell Magic is a smart beginner and is perfectly positioned,” Swain said.
White Bandit and Quasi Bale, prepared by Victorian trainers Mark and Lisa Delbridge, will be best backed to upset Miss Foxy Lee in tonight’s final.
White Bandit led all the way to win his heat in 34.72 while Quasi Bale, last year's Richmond Derby winner, chased his kennelmate home with a fast finishing second.
“If Miss Foxy Lee had drawn near the rails she would have been very hard to beat but her wide draw gives our greyhounds a good chance,” Mark Delbridge said.
“If White Bandit, who is chasing his fifth successive win, comes out running like he did in his heat he should be the pacemaker. At the same time if Quasi Bale sat right behind him he would probably run him down because in trials Quasi Bale is a fraction quicker.”
The Distance Championship is race six on tonight’s 10-race card at Canberra and will jump at 7.39pm.
