Multiple Group winner Knight Sprite, local star greyhounds Nangar Bear and Falcon’s Fury and this year’s Group 1 National Derby champion Big Daddy Bee headline Friday night's heats of the Ladbrokes Dubbo Gold Cup (516m).
In-form duo Little Cindy and Ferrero Miss are also among the contenders in the four heats of the $10,000-to-the-winner series.
Nangar Bear (pictured) jumps from box seven in the first heat (race four) having competed in this month's Golden Easter Egg series, in which he qualified for the semi-finals.
The Dennis Barnes-trained greyhound has won four of his five previous starts at Dubbo and will be one of the favourites to win the cup.
Big Daddy Bee (box five) has mixed form since winning the $75,000-to-the-winner National Derby in February but looks a decent chance in the second heat (race five).
The Ray Smith-trained greyhound has previously won over the 400m at Dubbo, but will need to improve on recent runs if he is to be any chance in this series.
This heat also features Little Cindy (box one), who has won three of her seven previous visits to Dubbo and two of her three previous starts from box one.
Knight Sprite jumps from box two in the third heat (race six) aiming to recapture the form that saw him win the 2016 Group 2 Gosford Cup and Group 2 Richmond Derby.
The Gayle Masterson-trained greyhound has placed once in four starts since returning from short-lived retirement earlier this year.
He has never previously raced at Dubbo, but has a good record from the checks and if he can recapture his old form cannot be discounted.
The third heat also features kennelmates All A Blaze (box one) and Ferrero Miss (box three), both trained by Paul Braddon.
All A Blaze has placed in two of her three starts since returning from Victoria and has run a sizzling 29.39 over this trip, while Ferrero Miss has won her last three starts and clocked a smart 29.76 at Dubbo two starts back.
Falcon’s Fury (box seven), another from the Braddon kennel, looks the best bet in heat four (race seven).
This year’s Group 2 Bulli Gold Cup and Bathurst Gold Cup winner was another who made it through to the Golden Easter Egg semi-finals and looks like one of the leading contenders to win the cup.
Kilkee May (box two), a recent Group 2 Richmond Derby finalist who is currently racing well and last Saturday night’s Golden Easter Egg finalist Slamming Thunder (box five) also feature in this heat.
The four heat winners and runners-up progress to the Dubbo Gold Cup final next Friday night.
Also on this Friday’s card are four heats of the $10,000-to-the-winner P & B Miller Memorial, also run over the 516m.
The David Pringle-trained Watch The Wasp (box two, heat three), who broke the Bathurst 450m track record in a recent performance trial and kennelmate Midnight Francis (box seven, heat four) look the ones to watch.
For Dubbo Friday fields, form and expert picks, click here.
