Starzsa Light will tackle Friday night's Frank Kennedy Memorial at Richmond as a lead-up to a pair of group races following her dashing win at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Trained by Dean Swain - for successful owner-breeder Michael Ivers - Starzsa Light took the lead at the first turn and simply ran her rivals off their legs in Saturday's 720m free-for-all.
Things looked grim for Starzsa Light's backers when $2 favourite Ebby Ripper - considered the strongest finisher in training - sat six lengths away in third place with 300m left to run.
But although Ebby Ripper got up to finish second, Starzsa Light held her comfortably to score by just over six lengths in a blistering 42.23.
After the race, Swain was full of praise for his greyhound.
"Starzsa Light is a rare stayer in that she begins smartly, usually leads in her races, chases tenaciously throughout and gets to the line powerfully.
"And afterwards you would not know she has been in a race, she is so clean-winded. The 717m Frank Kennedy Memorial on Friday looks ideal for her because Starzsa Light loves the Richmond track."
Starzsa Light's main goals this preparation are the Group 3 Gold Cup heats on March 18 and then the heats of the Group 1 Association Cup on April 8, both of which will be held at Wentworth Park.
Tap Out Axe is set to be a surprise entry in the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg heats on April 1 after his impressive performance to win a 520m 4/5th grade at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Tap Out Axe began fast from box four before railing underneath pacemaker Suzi Cargo to hit the front on the back straight.
"I call Tap Out Axe 'Lucky Dip' because when I take him to the races I never know what I am going to come away with," trainer Rodney Metselaar said.
"From behind the boxes I could see him crashing towards the rails, as he usually does, but then was amazed when I saw him charging along the fence to hit the front.
"I'm a realist and he is not up to Easter Egg class but I might as well enter him because if he draws well he could perhaps qualify for The Ambrosoli, the Easter Egg consolation final on April 15, and he might have a show in a race like that."
Cosmic Bonus boosted his Golden Easter Egg prospects with an impressive all-the-way win in a Golden Easter Egg Prelude on Saturday, clocking 30.09, just 0.06 outside Nangar Thunder's time standard for the meeting.
"I brought him to Wenty last Saturday but when the meeting was called off I was worried he might be short of a run tonight," trainer Evelyn Harris said later.
"With all the wet weather I could only give him a couple of hand-slips in the lead-up to tonight's race. So I was tickled pink with how he went, especially as he jumped well from box one as he often misses the kick when he draws an odd numbered box."
See you next week!
