Jason Thompson plumps for Aeroplane Tommy as the best prospect of his four starters in Saturday night's Group 1 Peter Mosman Classic heats at headquarters.
Thompson, who won the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg with Moreira on March 26, will bring Aqua Cheetah (race 3), Invictus Rapid (race 6), Buck Forty (race 7) and Aeroplane Tommy (race 9) from Victoria.
"Aeroplane Tommy has a terrific draw,'' Thompson said.
"He is not desperate for the fence but he will make full use of box one and has a lot in his favour.
"Invictus Rapid is not badly drawn out in box six because he doesn't mind being out there.
"And Aqua Cheetah has a good show providing he jumps cleanly from box five. He is hit or miss at the start but I have noticed that when he was trained in Sydney he usually began nicely at Wentworth Park.
"His worry is the presence of Aston Ebert in box six. I formerly trained this greyhound so know his habits.
"He is also hit or miss at the jump but he tends want to veer to the left so Aqua Cheetah will need to beat him out of the boxes.''
Thompson's other runner, Buck Forty, has drawn awkwardly in box five as he has to contend with fast beginner Virouette, a keen railer, alongside him in box six.
Trainer happiest about the postponement of the Peter Mosman heats from last week to this Saturday is Sydney's Julie Fletcher, whose dog El Magnifico has drawn box one in race 6.
"His draw in last week's heats was so poor he faced an almost impossible to task to win,'' Fletcher's husband Bruce said.
"The best we were hoping for was that El Magnifico would scrape into the semi-finals, but in the re-drawn heats he came up with the rails so should go close to winning.
"The postponement did not affect El Magnifico's preparation. We usually trial him at Appin on the Tuesday before a Saturday race and with Appin closed due to the weather, we took El Magnifico to Bulli on Tuesday morning.
"The track was slow but he clocked 22.72 for the 400m and ran home in 6.42, which is flying, even on a fast surface.
"El Magnifico has had box one just once in 16 starts, for a win.''
Rippin Hayne, who has won six of 13 Victorian outings, has been well schooled in preparation for his Wentworth Park debut in race 8, another heat of the Peter Mosman Classic.
"He trialled 30.17 in a solo hit-out at Wentworth Park on May 28 but he can go better than that,'' owner Shayne Williams said.
"Rippin Hayne knuckled over when he moved from the mat in front of the boxes onto the sand and only ran 5.66 to the first mark.
"He is not a fast beginner but he has a reasonable amount of early speed and getting box one is a massive result.''
The dog is trained by Robbie Britton but caretaker Sydney trainer Mark Bell took Rippin Hayne back to Wentworth Park on Tuesday night for a second look at the track.
"He missed the kick again but clocked 18.10 to the third mark which was good under the circumstances,'' Bell, who trained the 2000 Group 1 Vic Peters Classic winner Go Wild Teddy, said.
"If Rippin Hayne can get down to 5.50 to the first split he might be able to hold them out in the run to the first turn.
"He rails like you would not believe and he won't duck off at the first corner.''
Victorian trainer Andrea Dailly, who has won two of the past four Peter Mosman finals with Garrick Bale and Fernando Bale, has her customary strong contingent in this year's heats, but none with a better chance with Snakebite Bale (pictured).
He has drawn ideally in box one in race two, the first heat of the Classic, and is ready to reproduce his sizzling 29.74 figures he recorded in a winning a Golden Easter Egg heat at Wentworth Park from box four on March 12.
After being second to the half-way mark, Snakebite Bale grabbed the lead leaving the back straight to win easily and has drawn even better on Saturday night.
Victorian trainer Geoff Scott-Smith, whose outstanding sprinter Dundee Osprey clocked 29.84 in a solo Wentworth Park trial on May 28, is happy with his charge's box three draw in race five.
"He had box one last week when the meeting was washed out but I actually like him better in three, a couple of dogs away from the fence,'' Scott-Smith said.
The trainer also has Dundee Fury chasing his third win in four starts from box one in race 4 but he is not confident about the inexperienced youngster being able to cope with the rise in class in heat three.
"Dundee Fury has box one but I doubt that will help him because he is a slow beginner who wants to run wide,'' Scott-Smith said.
For Wentworth Park Saturday fields, form and expert picks, click here.
Jeff Collerson's Wentworth Park Saturday picks:
Best Bet: Snakebite Bale (Race 2)
Best Value: Aqua Cheetah (Race 3)
Quaddie: Race 5 - 6, 1
Race 6 - 1, 7, 5
Race 7 - 2, 1, 8
Race 8 - 1, 5, 6
$20 for 37.03%
