Knight Sprite will be set for Brisbane's Group 1 Winter Cup at Albion Park following his impressive return to racing at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
The Gayle Masterson-trained son of Magic Sprite scored his 25th win in 54 starts when he led throughout and hung on to defeat Ladies Bracelet winner Zipping Lilly by a half head in the night's Free For All over 520m.
Knight Sprite, who was having his first race in almost two months, will now be nominated for Thursday night's Albion Park card as a dress rehearsal for the Winter Cup heats on June 30.
"The timing is good because I can see how he handles Albion Park on Thursday and if I feel Knight Sprite needs another look at the track before the Cup series begins I will have time to take him back for another run on the track," Masterson said after the win.
Sydney's next Group 1 series is also hotting up with several winners and placegetters fom Saturday night's Wentworth Park meeting now being aimed for heats of the Peter Mosman Classic at Wentworth Park on June 4.
Zipping Lilly, who lost no admirers with her narrow defeat at the paws of the far more experienced Knight Sprite, is eligible for the age classic.
Vintage Rox, who enhanced his Wentworth Park tally to two wins and two placings from his past five appearances on Saturday night, will also target the Peter Mosman series.
Vintage Rox led throughout to win a fifth grade over the 520m in 29.81 after leading all the way in 29.78 on May 4.
The Craig Chappelow-trained greyhound emerged from box four in each of those wins and Chappelow is convinced Vintage Rox goes better from middle than from wide draws.
"When he draws boxes seven or eight Vintage Rox wants to veer across sharply to the rails as soon as he jumps," Chappelow said.
"But for some reason, when he draws in the centre of the track, he runs in a straight line after the start and then eases his way across to the rails. That trait is why he found so much trouble when he finished fourth from box eight at Wentworth Park on May 14."
He's Some Love will not race again until the June 4 Peter Mosman Classic heats after recording his third Wentworth Park win in 10 days in another fifth grade race over 520m.
"He is a good honest, front runner whose only flaw is his habit of taking a step to the left as soon as the boxes open," trainer Harry Markou said of He's Some Love.
"He's Some Love does that in every race he contests but once he has taken that step he runs straight. I won the Peter Mosman Classic in 2006 with Faithful Love, who was no world beater but, like He's Some Love, was a very keen chaser."
Markou was a leading Sydney greyhound bookmaker for seven years until he quit to become a successful breeder, owner and now, trainer.
In-form trainer Dean Swain landed his third winner in an hour when Emett Kahn, another Peter Mosman Classic hopeful, registered his fourth Wentworth Park success in a fourth grade event over the 520m.
Earlier in the evening Swain had won a double at Richmond with Runway Bono and Powered while Emett Kahn posted 29.96 after coming again to defeat Quiet Brilliant and Zipping Bruiser.
"Emett Kahn missed the jump from box two when he finished third at Wentworth Park on May 14 but he nailed the start from the same draw tonight," Swain said.
"But he does seem to begin better from outside boxes so I won't be too worried if he draws wide in the Peter Mosman heats."
Magic Spring, meanwhile, lifted his earnings to over $156,000 when he led throughout in Saturday night's Ladbrokes Odds Boost Final over the 520m.
The Noelene Holloway-trained National Derby winner recorded brilliant early splits of 5.38 and 13.82 on his way to a 30.03 victory.
"I knew he was ready to win again because he trialled as well as he has ever gone in a hit out on my local straight track earlier in the week," Holloway said.
See you next week!
