Two years ago Jake White took out the Country Challenge final with Cumberland Black and the young Goulburn trainer is sparing no effort to land the 2017 event.
Heats of the 520m event - this year re-named the Ladbrokes Up For The Challenge series - will be held at Wentworth Park on Wednesday and White has nominated Storm Chief and Awesome Danny.
Storm Chief is raced by Victorian-based Warren Owen, for whom White won the 2015 final with Cumberland Black.
“I gave Storm Chief his first look at Wentworth Park last Wednesday night and considering he had not seen the track I was pleased with his fifth grade win,” White said.
“Awesome Danny was in a tough race but led around the first turn before finishing second to Goldstein in 30.09, which was not far off the best time of the night.
“Storm Chief had box five but railed to the lead at the half way before winning in 30.23.”
The much-travelled Storm Chief, who has previously been trained in Tasmania and Victoria, is a son of Greysynd Storm, who was also owned by Warren Owen but won just a single race.
Awesome Danny is probably White's best hope as the greyhound has abundant early pace and runs his best races at Wentworth Park, where he has registered a win, two seconds and a third from seven appearances.
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“That has taken the pressure off.”
That was the comment from Murwillumbah trainer John Dart after landing the quinella with Neeky's Way and Spare Cash in Thursday night's Group 2 Queensland Futurity at Albion Park.
Dart is still attempting to recover after losing nine greyhounds, five vehicles and “half the house” in the recent Murwillumbah floods.
NSW Northern Rivers identities dominated Queensland's major race for female greyhounds as Dart trains Neeky's Way for well known far north coast owner John McGrory.
And runner-up Spare Cash is owned by Charlie and Toni Northfield, who are regulars in the winner's circle at Casino and Grafton.
“There is little between Neeky's Way and Spare Cash because while Neeky's way is a fraction quicker Spare Cash is a brilliant beginner,” Dart said.
“But (Spare Cash) missed the kick in the Futurity and while she managed to get up alongside Neeky's Way at one stage the winner proved too strong.”
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Suburban hobby owner-breeder David Smith's litter by US sire Bella Infrared from Slasher's Ethics continue to shine, with Red Sox Ethics and Zippy Ethics landing a double at Dapto on Thursday.
Red Sox Ethics' second win was in a slick 30.11 while Zippy Ethics took out a 520m maiden event in a tidy 30.14.
Yankee's Ethics, another from the now two-year-old litter, has won two of four starts while Dodgin' Ethics and White Sox Ethics, trained for Smith by Peter Mantach, have won four and five races respectively.
Only White Sox Ethics has raced at Wentworth Park and he was desperately unlucky when a $2.50 favourite on April 22 when the greyhound finished fifth.
White Sox Ethics, who had scored four brilliant provincial wins before his city debut, was skittled twice when attempting to cross to the rails from box eight.
Smith, 37, bought his first greyhound, Good Ethics, from central coast breeder Lorraine Atchison and she became the grandmother of Slasher's Ethics, dam of his current batch of potential stars.
Slasher's Ethics, who won seven of just 18 races, has since been mated with My Bro Fabio.
