Anthony Azzopardi, the Victorian trainer who won the 2016 Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder with Asa Flying Spur, will bring Adelaide Cup winner Raw Ability and Vic Peters Classic victor Crash Bandicoot to Wentworth Park for Saturday night's heats of the 2018 Thunder.
Raw Ability defeated Melbourne Cup winner Aston Dee Bee in the Adelaide Cup while Crash Bandicoot is a Wentworth Park specialist who took out the Group 1 Vic Peters there on November 4.
"I will also bring a promising dog called Pants On Fire to Sydney for the Thunder heats,'' Azzopardi said.
"He has been a surprise package who keeps improving and while he is not always a good beginner, I believe Wenty Park will suit him.
"I have another promising youngster in my kennels called Skibbo but I intend saving him for the heats of the Ladbrokes National Derby at Wentworth Park on January 27.
"Raw Ability is going really well and is my best chance of winning the Thunder final on Saturday week.''
xxxx
Barking Bad and Ebby Chance, kennelmates to Michael Eberand's crack stayer Ebby Ripper, have been retired.
"Barking Bad is going to be the family pet with part-owner Brad Crawford and his family while Ebby Chance will be mated with Hay Fergus as soon as she comes in season,'' Eberand said.
"Ebby Chance was lightly raced and had just 46 starts for 17 wins, with her winning times including 30.40 at Richmond and 29.43 at Gosford.
"She is a litter sister to Ebby Ripper, who pulled up well after chasing home Lochinvar Hugo over 720m at Wentworth Park last Saturday.
"Ebby Ripper will go around again in the heats of the Group 2 Summer Plate this Saturday at Wenty.
"Barking Bad's retirement will leave a gap for us because he had 21 wins and 30 placings from 72 starts.
"In 2017 he won Gosford's Group 2 Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup the listed The Collerson at Wentworth Park, while he was third in the Group 1 Dapto Megastar, third in the Group 2 Richmond Derby, and was a finalist in the Geelong Cup, Christmas Gift and this year's Gosford Cup.''
Eberand's kennels will not be sparse for too long though as a litter sired by Dyna Double One and whelped by Ebby Miss, dam of Ebby Ripper, Ebby Chance and Barking Bad, are about to be educated to begin their careers on the track.
xxxx
Sydney-owned Fast Car Driving, who ran the race of his life to finish third in Friday night's Group 1 Silver Chief Classic at Melbourne's The Meadows, will tackle the Group 1 Ladbrokes National Derby heats at Wentworth Park on January 27.
Victoria's Jeff Britton trained Fast Car Driving and his litter brothers Curtain Call and Rostered On for their recent Melbourne campaign but the trio will be back in their owner Chris Carl's Londonderry kennels for the Derby.
"Although they have won at Wentworth Park I don't think that track suits them as much as The Meadows because dogs don't seem to get rails runs at Wenty like they do at the Melbourne track,'' Carl said.
Carl's trio between them have won 17 of 53 starts and were whelped by Subway To Venus, who has just whelped nine puppies to Sh Avatar, sire of Ebby Ripper and Ebby Chance.
