Utah Miss Has Orange Cup In Her Sights

By Jeff Collerson

Utah Miss has drawn by far the strongest of tonight's three Orange Cup heats at Bathurst but trainer Joe Satti is confident she can win.

Utah Miss has box two in heat three where champion Falcon's Fury, a winner of 21 from 35 starts, has drawn three and Sky Wave, whose record is seven wins from 10 races, will exit box one.

"My greyhound loves Bathurst and is going extremely well at present,'' Satti said.

"Falcon's Fury is inclined to get wide and while Sky Wave looks like being the early leader, if Utah Miss is sitting behind her on the back straight I think she will run down the pacemaker.''

Miss Splendamiro's box four draw looks her only obstacle in heat one while Tina's Magic, who has won three of her past four starts, is ideally positioned in box eight in heat two.

The Cup final will be run over 520m at Bathurst next Monday.

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Mr Pupparazzi's amazing win at his middle distance debut over 600m at Dapto last Thursday night has convinced trainer Barry (Charlie) Riccio that his greyhound will develop into a stayer.

Mr Pupparazzi, who showed his strength when he gave powerful finisher Riley Tokaam a start and a beating in a top grade 520m race at Wentworth Park on December 2, clocked a handy 34.81 in his Dapto win.

Despite jumping smartly from an unsuitable wide draw, Mr Pupparazzi was repeatedly checked as he attempted to reach the rails and was relegated to a distant sixth on the Dapto back straight.

After giving Full Of Rust, an accomplished middle distance performer and a Wentworth Park 520m top grader, a four lengths' advantage on the home turn, Mr Pupparazzi won, running away by two lengths.

"By the time they reached the catching pen he was 10 lengths in front,'' Riccio said.

"I thought that hard run would have taken a lot out of him but on Friday morning Mr Pupparazzi was jumping out of his skin.

"Before he raced I knew Mr Pupparazzi was a fast dog but I did not know if he would become a top notch race dog, because there is a difference.

"Mr Pupparazzi is not the fastest greyhound in Australia but there can't possibly be a more tenacious chaser, he never gives up.

"I plan to take him to Victoria this week and trial him over 520 metres at Cranbourne on Thursday morning.

"The Cranbourne Cup is a Group 2, with the heats on February 3, and $47,000 to the winner final a week later.

"Mr Pupparazzi will be coming back in distance at Cranbourne but friends of mine in Melbourne tell me you need a particularly strong greyhound to win over the 520m there.

"And if he happened to draw near the rails Mr Pupparazzi is capable of winning just about anything.''

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Tristan Cannon is expected to cement favouritism for next month's Ladbrokes Cyril Rowe Gold Cup at Bulli by scoring his fifth win in seven appearances there on Monday.

Tristan Cannon registered his ninth win in 14 starts for trainer Jason Magri when he won over 450m at Maitland on Thursday.

The greyhound's Maitland record is outstanding but his credentials for the Group 2 Bulli Cup heats over 472m on February 17 are equally impressive.

Tristan Cannon's four Bulli wins have been in blistering times of 26.13, 26.14, 26.20 and 26.29.