Victorian trainer David Geall insists his champion greyhound is going as well as ever as she prepares for Saturday night's heats of the Group 2 Bob Payne Spring Sprint (520m) at Wentworth Park.
Up Hill Jill, the Sandown Laurels winner, has earned $264,000 with 24 wins and has box seven in heat one. But the runner-up in this year's Peter Mosman Classic disappointed many when she could only manage fourth in five dog race at Adelaide's Angle Park.
"Forget she went around at Angle Park last week," Geall said. "She had not seen the track so I took her there to gain experience prior to next month's Adelaide Cup.
"Up Hill Jill almost fell at the first turn but recovered so well she looked as if she was still going to win at the half-way mark. But then she was badly checked and wound up running fourth.
"She can handle box seven and has won two of her three races wearing the black rug. And she just loves Wentworth Park, she goes as well there as she does on her home town track Sandown in Melbourne.
Aside from Up Hill Jill, the heats of the Bob Payne Spring Sprint have a great line-up of sprinters that includes last week's Black Top winner Mister Twister in heat two, Rohan Hill clashing with Black Top runner-up Aqua Cheetah in heat three and Little Nangar up against Queensland star Slick in heat four.
In what is a sensational night of racing at Wentworth Park on Saturday night, Australia's top stayer Fanta Bale will make her first long-distance appearance in NSW when she exits box one in heat two of the Group 3 Chairman's Cup (720m).
Fanta Bale toppled her arch rival Burn One Down in last week's Group 1 National Distance Championship at Brisbane's Albion Park, taking her record to 28 wins from 44 starts and more than $895,000 prizemoney.
“She contested a heat of a group race over 520m at Wentworth Park early in her career and went awful,” Fanta Bale's trainer Robbie Britton said.
“But in long-distance races she adopts a real 'catch me if you can' style, usually tearing away with big early leads. She has box one on Saturday night which is ideal because she usually jumps smartly and leads around the first turn. I think Outside Pass, from Queensland, will be hard to beat because she had no luck when fourth to Fanta Bale in the Championship final last week.”
Saturday's two Chairman's Cup heats have attracted the strongest line-up of stayers in the 34 year history of the race.
Sydney's up-and-coming stayer Sherbini is also in heat two while crack local long-distance performer Mr. Shire takes on Northern Rivers star Tahlia's Way in heat one.
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