Planet Of Dream was fastest winner in last Monday's Julie Healey Memorial heats and trainer Lynn Maney admits emotions will be running high if her greyhound can win this afternoon's final at Bathurst.
Planet Of Dream led throughout to win his 450m heat in 25.79 and Maney says this is a race she would dearly love to win.
"My husband Michael and I were close friends with the Healey family, local people from Bathurst, and used to cheer alongside them when their best greyhound Rockstar Image was racing,'' Maney said.
Rockstar Image won 21 of 51 races and in two separate periods strung together seQUEnces of six successive victories.
Rockstar Image's winning career stretched over 2007, 2008 and 2009.
"Planet Dream is really a 520 metre dog but because he wasn't jumping cleanly I gave him a freshen up and brought him back to short course racing, with the Julie Healey Memorial in mind,'' Lynn Maney said.
"I was hoping he would draw box one, two or three in the final because he is a good railer.
"But Planet Of Dreams should still be hard to beat if he jumps as well as he did in his heat win, although he certainly needs to nail the start.''
The Maney family raced Planet Of Dreams' dam Miss Bowie, who retired with the remarkable strike rate of 12 wins from 28 starts.
"Planet Of Dream is from her first and only litter, to Barcia Bale, but Michael and I are sweating on Miss Bowie coming in season again so we can mate her with Fernando Bale.
"But so far she is not co-operating, because Planet Of Dream was whelped back in October, 2015.''
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Today's Julie Healey Memorial, which gets under way at 5.09pm, comprises an evenly-matched lineup.
Fastest qualifier Planet Of Dreams won his heat in 25.79, while Millionaire Max scored in 25.80, Concealment in 25.86, QUE Fever (26.15), My Bro Connor (26.16) and Silken Gown in 26.28.
Local trainer John Buttsworth, who has Millionaire Max and QUE Fever in the Julie Healey Memorial, rates Millionaire Max clearly his better prospect.
"When QUE Fever led all the way to win her heat she was having her first start in a race so she is extremely inexperienced,'' Buttsworth said.
"She has potential because in her performance trial she finished second to trainer Sid Swain's hot prospect Secretly Hot.
"Millionaire Max needs a clear run early from his box four draw but if he gets that, he should be hard to hold off as when he won his heat he posted the fastest run home time.
"Although his heat time was on the slow side, I think My Bro Connor could be the big improver in the final because he was badly checked soon after the start in his heat.''
Silken Gown came from last to win her heat, a remarkable effort in a 450m sprint, but her trainer Les Whitton said: "She will need a lot of luck because she is better suited in a longer race, over 520 or even 600 metres.''
Concealment, trained at Spring Terrace, near ORANGE, by Shannon Kirby, could start favourite after drawing the prized rails alley.
Concealment had registered just three placings in six starts over the Bathurst 450m trip before jumping in front box five to lead throughout in his heat.
