Only bad luck prevented Aston Duke qualifying for Saturday night's Group 1 Ladbrokes National Derby final and the Jason Mackay-trained speedster should collect a consolation win at Wentworth Park tonight.
Aston Duke, a wide runner, has a near ideal box seven draw in the opening event, a 520m fourth and fifth grade.
This is a huge drop in class from last Saturday's National Derby heat when Aston Duke was a certainty beaten after being skittled as he jumped.
The greyhound in box five veered sharply to the left and knocked Aston Duke, who had drawn four, completely off balance, who put up a tremendous performance to finish third to Mount Brown.
Blazing Major has been placed in one of two Wentworth Park races since coming from Victoria and entering the kennels to Mark Gatt, Sydney's premier trainer for 2017.
Blazing Major has box two in race two, a 520m fifth grade, and Gatt believes he gets his chance to open his Sydney account.
"He hand-slipped well at Wenty when I first got him but Blazing Major has not done a lot in two races there,'' Gatt said.
"But he is better than his form suggests and I think he will improve providing he gets away cleanly and gets going quicker than after 20 or 30 metres.''
Trainer Jeff Eaton lost a race against time have Blazin' Audrey ready for last week's heats of the Group 1 Ladbrokes National Futurity but believes she is ready to win first up from a spell at Wentworth Park tonight.
Blazin' Audrey, who has not raced since October, has box five in race four, a 520m event for greyhounds with two to five wins.
"She is fit enough because Blazin' Audrey trialled very well over 515m at Gosford last week,'' Eaton said.
"I was going to bring her back to racing at Gosford but when I noticed this race, for greyhounds with between two and five wins, I decided to head to Wentworth Park with her.''
Eaton's wife Carole could win race three, another heat of the 2-5 wins, with Blazin' Audrey's litter brother Blazin' Carter.
Blazin' Carter disputed the early lead when unplaced in Out Of Range's National Derby heat last Saturday and meets far weaker opposition this week.
"We wanted him in box two or four because Blazin' Carter begins better when he is in an even numbered box,'' Jeff Eaton said.
"The evens go in after the odd numbered boxes and Blazin' Carter does not like to be waiting at the start for too long.''
But Simon Rhodes, trainer of Dyna Orenthal prefers odd numbered boxes for his dog and is delighted to see him on the rails in race 10, a 520m Free-For-All.
"Dyna Orenthal jumps better when he has had more time to settle down before the start and because he has won two of his four races from box one, this week's draw is a bonus,'' Rhodes said.
"When he won at Dapto last week Dyna Orenthal ran home in 12.40, not much slower than the former champion Double Twist used to clock.''
Rhodes also gives Dyna Yatul, who has box two in race eight, a good chance of scoring his first Wenty win.
"He is going a lot better than he was when he last raced at Wentworth Park in November,'' Rhodes said.
Jeff Collerson’s Selection’s
Best Bet: Aston Duke (Race 1)
Best Value: Blazing Major (Race 2)
Quaddie
Race 5 - 7, 8, 4
Race 6 - 8, 3, 5
Race 7 - 1, 8
Race 8 - 1, 5, 2
$20 for 37.03%
