Leading trainer Jason MACKAY is hoping to go one better in this year’s Group 3 Christmas Gift (race eight, 520m) at Wentworth Park with his finalist Riley Tokaam.
MACKAY came second in the race last year with champion sprinter Mister Twister, who chased home Royal Turbo and is confident Riley Tokaam will give him a change of fortune.
“Riley Tokaam is ideally positioned in box seven Because while he needs an outside alley I did not want a front runner drawn outside him and the dog in box eight does not usually go quick early,” MACKAY said.
In last week's heats Riley Tokaam made full use of his wide box six draw to run down Champion Model in 30.08.
Fastest qualifier was Barking Bad, who led throughout from box one and defeated Black Hole Sun in 29.98.
The other heats were taken out by Milky Jones, who came from last to defeat Royal Turbo by a nose in 30.38, and Champion Model's kennelmate Bombshell Bandit, who toppled Another Gangsta in 30.43.
Royal Turbo, meanwhile, is attempting to become the first greyhound to win the Christmas Gift twice since its inception in 1969.
Royal Turbo won last year's Christmas Gift as a $19 chance after being sent out at $31 in his heat win and will again be one of the outsiders.
Caroline Hughes, whose partner Glen McKinley trains Royal Turbo, concedes Royal Turbo faces a tough task to record back-to-back wins.
“Our dog is a front runner and after setting up a big lead in his heat he got very tired on the heavy track,” Hughes said.
“If the surface is fast on Saturday Royal Turbo has a chance Because of his early speed but if the track is slow again he could find it hard going.”
Michael Eberand, who trains Barking Bad, believes his greyhound's box two draw is “not too bad”.
“I looked at the heat replays and noticed that Bombshell Bandit, who has drawn outside Barking Bad in the final, shifted to the right when the boxes opened,” Eberand said.
“If she does that again she might give Barking Bad the room to move that he needs so badly in the run to the first turn.”
Best outsider in the Christmas Gift is Milky Jones, who is a slow beginner and wide runner who is perfectly positioned in box eight.
“Because he is going so well I gave him a chance from box three in his heat and he came from last to win,” the greyhound’s trainer Chris Carl said.
“Box eight is definitely his perfect alley but while he likes being drawn wide, Milky Jones' prospects hinge on the dogs in front of him at the half way mark staying on the fence. If they fan out when he is making his run on the back straight Milky Jones will be in trouble.”
In other action at Wentworth Park on Saturday night, Good Odds Bricky, who was on the market last week, should score his 20th win in 62 starts for owner Frank and Tracey Hurst.
Good Odds Bricky had box six when he failed to beat one home in Fanta Bale's heat of the Group 3 Summer Cup on December 2 but drops sharply in class in the 4/5th grade Ladbrokes Multimaker Stakes (race three, 720m).
Hurst's greyhound has drawn wide at his past four starts but has box two on Saturday and at his latest appearance from that draw he won a 720m event by seven lengths in a brilliant 42.40.
Jeff Collerson’s selections:
Best Bet: Riley Tokaam (Race 8)
Best Value: Good Odds Bricky (Race 3)
Quaddie
Race 5 - 4, 5, 6
Race 6 - 4, 6, 7
Race 7 - 1, 7, 6
Race 8 - 7, 8
$20 for 37.03%
