The Group 1 National Futurity - Wentworth Park's major race for female greyhounds - looks like it could be a match race after the most impressive heat winners Up Hill Jill and Striker Light drew the two inside boxes.
Fastest qualifier Up Hill Jill, who took out the Group 2 Laurels Classic at Sandown in October, has box two while Striker Light, who overcame a slow start from a poor draw in her heat win, has box one.
Up Hill Jill exited box two in her heat, leading throughout to score by just on 10 lengths in 29.87 and posting dazzling splits of 5.39, 13.69 and 17.89.
After the win, Up Hill Jill's trainer David Geall said trialling the greyhound at Wentworth Park last week was the key to the heat win.
"Tonight I saw several Victorian greyhounds which had not trialled at Wenty before the heats bite the dust, so I'm glad I went to the trouble of bringing Up Hill Jill to Sydney for a look at the track last week," Geall said.
"In her trial Up Hill Jill ran 30.14 but I expected her to go quicker in her heat because she had a good draw and always benefits from a run on a track."
Striker Light took 30.46 to win, but has recorded 30.01 in taking out a heat of the Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder at Wentworth Park earlier this month.
She has won eight from 15 starts and after bungling the start and looking a forlorn hope in her National Futurity heat, she railed underneath Miss Abbeyvale to lead at the first turn.
Striker Light's trainer Brett Bravo was delighted at getting box one for Saturday's final, but admitted he did not want Up Hill Jill drawn immediately alongside his greyhound.
Unfortunately for Bravo that is exactly what happened with Up Hill Jill drawing box two for the Group 1 event.
Bravo has a second National Futurity finalist in Andrea Doria, who led all the way to score by nine lengths in 30.12.
Mainline Osti was the sole non-Victorian heat winner, coming from second on the home bend to clock 30.16.
"I was hoping for an inside draw so am obviously disappointed at getting box six," Mainline Osti's trainer Ashley Dwyer said.
The Box draw for the Group 1 National Futurity at Wentworth Park on Saturday is: 1. Striker Light 2. Up Hill Jill 3. Red Calibre 4. Andrea Doria 5. Jody Lee Kade 6. Mainline Osti 7. Daithy Allen 8. Princess Pout. Reserves: 9. Flying Mikayla 10. Carla Zeus.
