Trainer Jason MACKAY has the three fastest qualifiers in Saturday night's Ladbrokes Odds Boost Series but leans slightly to Aston Duke as the pick of his trio in the Wentworth Park final (Race 6, 520m).
In the December 13 heats, MACKAY's ZIPPING Blaze set the Time standard with 30.20 win with kennelmate Aston Duke next best at 30.21 and ZIPPING Clive clocking in at 30.30.
"ZIPPING Clive relished having box seven in his heat but while he has a big motor, he is drawn wrong in box one in the final,'' MACKAY said.
"ZIPPING Blaze has a good early speed but Aston Duke might have the most improvement in him.
"While ZIPPING Clive and ZIPPING Blaze had trialled at Wenty before the heats, Aston Duke went into the race 'cold' without having seen the place.
"He is a half-brother to the Melbourne and Ballarat Cups winner Aston Dee Bee and broke in faster than that superstar.
"Aston Duke ran off at the first turn when he won his heat so box six looks okay for him in the final.''
Hardest for MACKAY's trio to beat is likely to be the Ron Lambert-trained Dreaming Time, who has box two.
Dreaming Time had box one in her heat and led until half-way down the straight before being beaten just under a length by ZIPPING Clive.
"Dreaming Time ran the fastest first and second splits of the Odds Boost finalists so from her good box two draw she should be the pacemaker again,'' Lambert said.
"Because she has been inclined to strike herself when galloping, I did not give her a trial at Wenty before the heats.
"I figured that her early speed would allow her to make the pace and she did that but ZIPPING Clive was just a bit too strong for her.
"But Dreaming Time has drawn two on Saturday and if she can beat ZIPPING Blaze, who has box three, out of the boxes, she should be hard to catch.
"Dreaming Time is a dead-set front-runner and if they jam up a little behind her she can hang on and win, although at this stage the 520m at Wenty is probably as far as she wants to go.
"At the same Time she should derive some benefit from the experience of her heat run.''
Jason MACKAY is particularly upbeat about the chances of another of his up-and-coming team of youngsters, ZIPPING Mack, who has box seven in Saturday night's opening event (Race 1, 520m)
ZIPPING Mack was a certainty beaten when third on debut at Wentworth Park on December 13 after being last away from box three and being severely checked twice.
"If he begins better this week racegoers will see a fast dog in action,'' MACKAY said of ZIPPING Mack.
MACKAY's recent Group 3 Christmas Gift winner Riley Tokaam will be all the rage to notch his ninth Wentworth Park win in Saturday's 520m Free For All.
"He had box seven when he won the Gift and has a 'gun' draw in box eight on Saturday,'' MACKAY said.
Dyna Kelly needs to begin fast to overcome her poor record from box eight when she contests Saturday's fourth race, a 520m fifth grade.
"She has not handled box eight in five previous runs wearing the pink rug but is going well at present and is a different greyhound when she can lead,'' trainer Simon Rhodes said.
"When she had box three last week at Wenty she could not quite hold out Explosive Brown in the early stages and considering she was running second on the back straight, Dyna Kelly did well to hang on and finish third.''
Something New, another front-runner, looks Dyna Kelly's main danger after drawing the prized rails box.
Jeff Collerson's Selections
Best Bet Riley Tokaam (race 9)
Best Value Aston Duke (race 6)
Quaddie
Race 5 - 8, 3
Race 6 - 6, 2, 3
Race 7 - 2, 3
Race 8 - 1, 6, 7
$20 for 55.55%
