Out Of Range, who gave trainer Seona Thompson her sixth win in Melbourne's Group 1 Silver Chief Classic earlier this month, heads an imposing Victorian contingent for next Saturday night's heats of the National Derby and National Futurity at Wentworth Park.
The Derby and Futurity are Group 1 races for male and female greyhounds whelped on or after October 1, 2015, with the $75,000 to the winner finals for each race at Wentworth Park on February 3.
Leading Sydney trainer Jason MACKAY, who is caring for Out Of Range until Thompson arrives from Melbourne, trialled the dog at Wentworth Park last Tuesday night.
"I wanted to familiarise him with Wenty so gave him a box-to-box slip and he went nicely,'' MACKAY said.
Out Of Range has won nine of his 14 races and already earned $140,000 prizemoney while Robert Britton, Victorian trainer of champion stayer Fanta Bale, will have Fernando Express and Benali in the Derby.
Fernando Express clocked a sizzling 29.85 in a 520m solo trial at Wentworth Park on January 13 while kennelmate Benali ran down Britton's Futurity hopeful Slingshot Gypsy to win a similar hit-out in a slick 30.02.
"I was a bit disappointed with Benali's Time because I know how good he is, he has won at Sandown in 29.24 which is flying,'' Britton said.
"Benali can't hold the rails so he needs an outside draw in next week's heats while Fernando Express is not explosive out of the boxes but can really run, and he is a good fencer.''
Fernando Express and Benali have each won seven races in their brief careers while Slingshot Gypsy, who made the pace when second in Benali's Wentworth Park trial, has had four wins and four placings from eight starts.
Former Sydney trainer Anthony Azzopardi, who now trains at Bacchus Marsh, will enter three siblings for the Futurity heats.
Blue Sky Riot and La Bella Riot have each had four wins and three placings from 10 starts while their sister Mystic Riot's tally is three wins and two placings from seven appearances.
"Mystic Riot lacks early speed but is extremely strong while Blue Sky Riot and La Bella Riot have plenty of early pace and are not weak at the finish either,'' Azzopardi said.
Dreaming Time, Nino De Oro and Time-lee-money">Time Lee Money earned a tilt at the Futurity and Derby heats with impressive wins at Wentworth Park on Wednesday night.
Dreaming Time broke through for her first Wentworth Park win in a 520m fifth grade, recording 30.31, but trainer Ron Lambert is confident she can get down to 30.10 at Wenty.
"When I began educating Dreaming Time she was a brilliant beginner but at her past three starts she has stood flat-footed at box rise,'' Lambert said.
"Even though she missed the kick again on Wednesday she showed terrific pace to lead clearly at the first turn, so with a better getaway she can run faster Time.''
Before she scored at Wentworth Park on Wednesday, Nino De Oro had won seven of 11 provincal outings and trainer Subawa Ngurah declared: "If she wins tonight I'll put her in the Futurity.''
Time-lee-money">Time Lee Money's trainer Donna Campbell was not surprised at her greyhound's 30.43 win in another 520m fifth grade on Wednesday.
"When he was 13 months old and still being broken in, Time-lee-money">Time Lee Money could run 16.90 over 297m at Dapto and he has been able to clock sensational Times in trials ever since,'' Campbell said.
"Considering how much ability he has his provincial record before his Wenty success should have been better than three wins from 10 starts.''
Best locally trained chances loom as Fast Car Driving, Curtain Call, Two Times Twice and Zipping Clive in the Derby and Poco Dorado and Rhythm Section in the Futurity.
Fast Car Driving, trained at Londonderry by Chris Carl, was third to Out Of Range in last week's Group 1 Silver Chief in Melbourne while kennelmates and siblings Curtain Call and Rhythm Section have been impressive Wentworth Park winners.
Poco Dorado has won in a slick 30.03 at Wentworth Park and has clocked near record figures of 30.51 at Richmond.
John Finn trains Poco Dorado and her litter brother Two Times Twice, a 29.90 Wenty winner, while Out Of Range's caretaker trainer Jason MACKAY will have Zipping Clive in the Derby.
Zipping Clive, who has won three of eight races and is a 30.30 Wentworth Park winner, is owned by Marty and Fiona Hallinan, who raced the 2014 National Derby winner Zipping Brock.
The National Derby was first run at Wentworth Park in 1963 with the inaugural Futurity held a year later.
LADBROKES GARDENS hosted the classics from 2009 to 2014 but they returned to Wentworth Park in 2015 when the Jason MACKAY-trained Zipping Midge won the Futurity and Fernando Bale, sire of this year's candidate Fernando Express, landed the Derby.
