Bruce Fletcher believes box three has given his flying greyhound El Magnifico every chance of claiming this Saturday's Group 2 Ladbrokes Cyril Rowe Bulli Gold Cup (472m).
The son of El Grand Senor and Little Grey will wear the white rug in the $40,000-to-the-winner decider after qualifying with a solid 26.29 win in last Saturday night's heats.
El Magnifico's victory extended his incredible record at Bulli, where he has now won seven of eight visits.
He has the modest record of one win and one placing from four previous starts from box three but astute Fletcher, husband of the greyhound's trainer Julie, is confident of victory in the final.
"I would have preferred either box one or two but this isn't bad," Fletcher said. "He's a big, strong greyhound and this large track at Bulli really suits him.
"He hadn't raced for about a month before this race. I could have brought him back sooner but we have prepared him for this series.
"It's an even final but I think box three has given him every chance of winning."
El Magnifico jumped only fairly from box eight in his heat but found the inside line in the home straight and rattled home by two lengths ahead of runner-up Pedro Cerrano.
Now boasting 14 wins and five minor placings from 29 starts, El Magnifico's fine record includes the 515m track best at Bulli in 28.51 and six victories in elite company at Wentworth Park.
"We were worried about having box eight but he found the line strongly," Fletcher said. "It was a terrific run.
"He's got a track record at Bulli over the 515, gone close to the 472 metre track record here and also ran the fastest time of 2016 at Wentworth Park, which underlines his ability.
"He just needs to find the rail - if he does that, he's very hard to stop.
"I think he's got a decent chance to win this one."
Victorian greyhound Bear’s Gold set the time standard in the heats with his 26.21 victory.
Trained by Keith Hellmuth, Bear’s Gold began only average from box eight in his heat but stormed home to extend his record to a terrific 21 wins and six minor placings from 34 starts.
Bear’s Gold will have to contend with box five for Saturday night’s final, while second fastest qualifier – Nangar Rock - will jump from box seven.
In contrast to Bear’s Gold, Nangar Rock was able to lead all the way in his heat to win in 26.24.
Recent Bathurst Cup winner Falcon’s Fury, meanwhile, will be looking to win his second feature race this month after he qualified for the Bulli feature with a 26.28 win in his heat.
Box draw for the Group 2 Bulli Gold Cup this Saturday night is as follows: 1. Pedro Cerrano 2. Falcon’s Fury 3. El Magnifico 4. Winsome Mission 5. Bear’s Gold 6. Black Hole Sun 7. Nangar Rock 8. Barking Bad. Reserves: 9. Ritza Lenny 10. Kong
The Bulli Gold Cup is the biggest race for the Illawarra club and will be supported by off-track entertainment, including live music and free entry. Racing kicks off at 7.05pm on Saturday.
For Sportsbet's market on the Bulli Gold Cup, click here.
