Victorian husband and wife training team Jason and Seona Thompson will be chasing their fourth Adelaide Cup in a decade when Australia's best greyhounds converge on Angle Park tonight.
Six heats of the Group 1 event will be staged over 515m with the $75,000 to the winner final at the same venue on Friday, October 13.
The Thompsons won the 2008 Adelaide Cup with Whippy's Image, took out the 2009 final with El Galo, and landed last year's event with Aqua Cheetah.
Fresh from winning last week's Group 1 Dapto Megastar, Aqua Cheetah (pictured after last year's win) will be on the path to attempting back-to-back Cup wins when he exits box four in heat four.
The Thompsons will also be represented by Worm Burner, who won the 2016 National Sprint Championship at Angle Park and by Adelaide newcomers Aston Dee Bee and Bewildering.
"Worm Burner is well drawn in box two in heat five, I wanted him positioned inside,'' Seona Thompson said.
"Aston Dee Bee and Bewildering have not been around Angle Park but they are both ideally drawn in box eight.
"They are well suited out wide, especially so when they have not previously seen the track.''
Aston Dee Bee is in heat one and Bewildering in heat two.
Aqua Cheetah faces a tough task in his heat as the 2017 Golden Easter Egg winner Striker Light has box one in this event.
The Brett Bravo-trained Striker Light but has won a remarkable 18 of 35 races, most of them in top flight company.
"Striker Light had a minor setback but resumed to win by 10 lengths over 450m at Warrnambool in near record time on September 21,'' owner George Farrugia said.
"Then last week she trialled over 515m at Angle Park and clocked 29.89.
"We were pleased with those figures because Striker Light had not previously seen the track and was badly in need of a 515m hit-out.
"She should improve heaps on Thursday, especially from box one, the draw she had when she won this year's National Futurity.''
While Seona and Jason Thompson have won three Adelaide Cups, leading local trainer Peter Jovanovic will be seeking his first success in SA's flagship race when he leads out Cairnlea Ollie (box seven, heat three) and Cairnlea Kenny (box four, heat six).
"I have had no luck in the Cup as my greyhound Undue Speed broke a hock on the back straight when he looked as if he was going to win Waterview Star's 2003 final,'' Jovanovic, a trainer for 45 years, said.
"Then I trained Blue Obsession who finished fourth in the 2004 final won by Hotline Hero.
"The draw has not been kind this year but Cairnlea Kenny, who has won 10 of 27 races, has the early zip to overcome box four.
"He is probably a better chance than his sister and kennelmate Cairnlea Ollie who is more of a dour type of greyhound.''
Other top notchers in the heats include Raw Ability, winner of 12 from 23 races, who has box two and local star Lachlan Brown, winner of 19 out of 33 races (box six) each in heat one, WA ace Black Bombshell (box seven, heat 2), Group 1 Temlee winner Lightning Frank (box six), Aston Dinnigan (box three) and Zara's Entity (box eight; all in heat 3) and Ando's Mac (box five, heat 6).
The up-and-coming Zara's Entity, who has won seven of 13 starts, is the latest crackerjack to emerge from the kennels of ace Victorian trainer Kel Greenough, who prepared former champions Cindeen Shelby and Paw Licking.
Ando's Mac, who won the 2016 Group 1 Vic Peters Classic at Wentworth Park for Hunter Valley trainer Jason Mackay, has won 26 of 53 starts and proved he retained his dash by winning at Angle Park on September 21 for current trainer Anthony Azzopardi.
For full Angle Park form and fields click here.
