Knight Sprite - bought for just $1000 as a puppy - is poised to lift his earnings to $227,000 by winning tonight's Ladbrokes Chief Havoc Cup at Gunnedah.
Trained by Gayle Masterton, Knight Sprite led throughout to win his heat by five lengths in a record 30.29 and has box three for tonight’s final.
Masterson is happy with the draw.
“I wanted him to get box three or wider, I did not want an inside box with him,” Masterson said.
“It has taken Knight Sprite a few runs to get back to the great form he showed in 2016 but now he is going as good as ever.
“He had never seen the Gunnedah track before his heat so I was rapt in his effort to clock the fastest time seen there since the surface was converted from grass to sand.
“It was a huge thrill to be there last week because when Knight Sprite's race was about to start nearly everyone left the betting ring to come and watch him in action.
“Someone asked me why I would want to go all the way to Gunnedah to race for $5000 first prizemoney but it would be a tremendous honour to win the Chief Havoc Cup.
“After all, this race is named After a greyhound which became a legend in our sport.”
Second fastest qualifier for the Chief Havoc Cup is Kooringa Ayla, who came from second early to win in 30.46 and has drawn the prized rails box.
“My greyhound is better suited drawn wide but I expect her to run straight from the boxes to the first turn,” Kooringa Ayla’s trainer Mitchell Northfield said.
“And at least with her being in box one, it has stopped anyone else from getting that sought After draw. Kooringa Ayla is as quick as my group winner Mitcharlie Mia, but is not as good a race dog.
“While Mitcharlie Mia, who has won 33 of 76 starts, does everything right in her races, Kooringa Ayla does not always put it all together.
“But she is very fast when she comes out of the boxes cleanly and After she won her Cup heat at Gunnedah last Saturday, she came out running to win at Grafton 48 hours later.”
The Chief Havoc Cup final gets under way at 6.44pm. Tonight’s Gunnedah meeting is a special TAB meeting with all races to be shown on Sky Racing.
Click here for Gunnedah fields and form.
