Chasin’' Crackers lived up to trainer Glenn Rounds' conviction that his greyhound was now a better greyhound than when he finished third in the Peter Mosman Classic by recording fastest time in Saturday night's heats of the Group 1 Ladbrokes Vic Peters Classic at Wentworth Park.
Chasin' Crackers posted by far his personal best Sydney time, a sizzling 29.62, on Saturday.
Rounds had earlier told thedogs website that Chasin' Crackers had matured and is a much better greyhound now than when he was last in Sydney.
Rounds flew Chasin' Crackers to NSW on Friday with Austral-based Jason Magri collecting the greyhound from Sydney airport to act as caretaker trainer during the greyhound's Vic Peters campaign.
Magri also handled Saturday night's second fastest Vic Peters heat winner, with Mr Pupparazzi, having his first run for his new trainer, leading throughout in 29.66.
Mr Pupparazzi's owner and previous trainer Charlie Riccio has handed training duties over to Jason Magri because of a time-consuming commitment marking HSC examination papers.
“But I did advise Jason Magri that Mr Pupparazzi thrived on work so he trialled the dog at Wenty last Tuesday night and the greyhound clocked the smart time of 30.04,” Riccio said.
The Vic Peters heats were a triumph for hobby trainer Chris Carl, manager of a western Sydney club.
Carl had entered four members of a litter he bred from his brood bitch Subway To Venus, and each qualified for Saturday's semi-finals.
Carl won with Fast Car Driving (time of 30.14) and newcomer Rostered On (30.00), while siblings of those greyhounds, Rhythm Section and Curtain Call, finished second and fourth respectively in their heats.
“I was as pleased with the performances of Rhythm Section and Curtain Call because Rhythm Section had not seen the track before and Curtain Call had to come from last to finish fourth,” Carl said.
“Rostered On hand-slipped well at Wenty last Saturday but even so I was a bit surprised how well he went to win at only his 10th start.”
Meanwhile, the Christine Proctor-trained Bekin Street, pre-post favourite for the Vic Peters final, had to overcome a slow start and a check approaching the home to win his heat in 29.99.
The other heat was won by Manila Kampyon in 29.94 for Victorian trainer Seona Thompson.
First four across the line in each of the six heats will make up the fields for next Saturday's three semi-finals of the Vic Peters, with fifth placegetters qualifying as reserves.
The $75,000 to the winner final at Wentworth Park on November 4 will be the 67th running of NSW's most time-honoured age classic.
See you next week!
