Barking Bad broke trainer Michael Eberand's run of bad luck in big races with his upset win in the Group 2 Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup on January 3 and the trainer continued his purple patch of form when Ebby Chance won brilliantly at Bulli on Saturday night.
"Barking Bad was my 12th starter in a major final and he gave me my first win in a big race,'' Eberand said.
"He will now contest heats of the group 1 520m Paws Of Thunder at Wentworth Park on Saturday night while I will have his younger half sister Ebby Ripper in heats of the Group 2 Summer Plate over 720m.
"And hopefully Ebby Chance, Ebby Ripper's litter sister, will be at Wentworth Park shortly.
"Ebby Chance won in 26.27 over 472m at Bulli on Saturday, which was the best time of the night, but I think she could be better suited on a tighter track.
"I have her in a 485m race at Gosford tomorrow night and as she has box one she should go close to winning.
"She goes well at Gosford because while she has not raced there, Ebby Chance clocked a fast 22.81sec in a 400m performance trial there before she raced.
"Greyhounds which qualify at Gosford tomorrow night will go into a final at Wentworth Park on January 18 and depending on how she goes at Wenty I will decide whether to nominate her for the Group 1 National Futurity heats on January 28.''
XXXX
Billy Davies, who has been a trainer for 58 years, has a highly promising youngster on his hands following the tenacious win by Wills in a 515m maiden at The Gardens on Saturday.
Wills took a "steady'' 30.45 to cover the distance but almost certainly would have broken the 30 second barrier from an inside box.
After jumping fairly from box seven, Wills veered sharply to the left and almost knocked himself completely off balance.
Hampered again at the winning post with a lap to go, he continued to surge forward and after grabbing the lead drew away for an impressive win.
Davies, 76, said: "Wills, who is owned by my son Steve, is desperate for an inside box but he has great potential," Davies said. "I believe I will get to Wentworth Park with him.
"Wills was produced by a bitch called Lochinvar Fox who won only two races for me but is a daughter of the former top notcher Smart Betsy, an impeccably bred matron.
"So with bloodlines like that I just had to breed from Lochinvar Fox.''
In recent times the 76-year-old has undergone triple by-pass heart surgery and was recently diagnosed with diabetes, but has no plans to "cut back'' on the sport he loves.
"Greyhounds give me a reason to get up in the morning to tend to them, hail, rain or shine, 365 days a year,'' Davies said.
"I have 11 dogs in work in my kennels at Clarence Town because if I had not had greyhounds all these years I would not be around now, I would be in a box!''
Davies' best greyhound was Billy Glider, a son of 1981 NSW Greyhound of the Year Glider's Son.
"Billy Glider held the Beaumont Park, Newcastle track record for nine years, won the Maitland Gold Collar, won two from two at Harold Park, and won 28 of his 52 races,'' Davies recalled.
"Another good greyhound I trained was Velvet Bale, who took out the Maitland Oaks and won seven at Wentworth Park, five over 520m and two of 720m.''
XXXX
Lovelace, who has won five races over the Wentworth Park 720m journey, has handed in an outstanding trial for Saturday night's heats of the Group 2 Summer Plate over that course.
Lovelace came from third on the back straight to run away with a Richmond race on Friday night over the less than ideal 535m trip.
There was no fluke about Lovelace's performance either as she covered the "unsuitable'' distance in a sizzling 30.64, best time of the night.
Click here to watch the replay.
