Richmond Derby winner Hone In had box one when he shattered the track record in his Maitland Gold Cup heat but his box six draw in Thursday's Group 2 final has thrown the race wide open.
Tristan Cannon, whose heat win took his Maitland tally to five wins from as many starts, has also drawn awkwardly in box four.
The coveted rails trap will be occupied by Cavatron, the two-year-old "baby" of the field who will be making only his 11th racetrack appearance.
Slowest heat winner Lagoon Pirate has drawn box eight with Aston Duke (box two) and Lucky Chap (seven) looking well positioned.
In last Thursday's heats Hone In led throughout in 24.63, shaving .05sec off the previous best Maitland 450m time posted by Old Spice in May, 2016.
Cavatron came from second on the home turn to win in 24.75, Aston Duke led throughout in 24.78, while Aston Dinnigan and Tristan Cannon were all-the-way winners in 24.82 and 24.83 respectively.
Big Black was last at box rise before scoring in 24.95, Lucky Chap led after 200m to win in 24.99 and Lagoon Pirate took advantage of scrimmaging among the leaders to win in 25.01.
Despite Hone In's move from box one to six, Victorian trainer Brett Bravo believes his greyhound's extraordinary "track sense" can see him earn the $40,000 winner's cheque.
"Hone In is a seasoned race dog who makes really smart decisions in his races,'' Bravo said.
"And while he won the Richmond Derby, he is better suited on a bigger track like Maitland.
"He had not been trialled at Maitland before the Cup heats but I knew that would not faze him because Hone In has clocked near record times on similar horseshoe-shaped tracks in Victoria.''
Hone In's Victorian wins include close to course record performances at Ballarat, Warragul and Horsham, all spacious u-turn circuits.
Although Lucky Chap's heat time was well outside Hone In's record figures, trainer Anthony Azzopardi considers box seven gives his dog a second-to-none chance.
"As long as the dog in box eight does not come across him at the start, Lucky Chap is perfectly drawn in box seven,'' Azzopardi said.
"Although he had box one in his heat, I have always preferred to see Lucky Chap drawn wide.''
Paul Abela, only in his fourth year as a trainer, has two Cup finalists, Cavatron and Aston Dinnigan.
"Cavatron has a great draw but is still very green and Aston Dinnigan is definitely my better chance as she is quicker than him and has more early speed,'' Abela said.
"Aston Dinnigan won her first six races in succession but has faced a lot of injury problems over the past six months and has only just returned to peak form.''
Crack Sydney trainer Jason MACKAY is pleased with Aston Duke's box two and is confident his dog can be among the leading division at the crucial first turn.
"I think he can beat Cavatron to the bend and Paul Abela told me Aston Dinnigan will not veer left at the start so my dog should get a clear run,'' MACKAY said.
Hone In's 7.70 was fastest first sectional time in the heats but Aston Dinnigan was only a fraction slower at 7.71.
Best run home times were Tristan Cannon's 6.59 and Hone In at 6.60.
Tristan Cannon was pre-post favourite for the Cup and his trainer Jason Magri believes drawing box four has not ruled his greyhound out of contention.
"If the dogs drawn around him run straight when they leave the boxes Tristan Cannon will be okay,'' Magri said.
"He pulled up well after his heat win but while he recorded the best run home time, I would have preferred him to clock the quickest first split, so he needs to come out smartly in the final.''
Hone In turns four in October and the veteran of the field with 55 races under his belt is the most experienced finalist.
He has won 18 races but those with superior strike rates are Lucky Chap (20 wins from 38 starts), Tristan Cannon (17 from 33), Aston Dinnigan (14 from 28) and Aston Duke (11 of 24) and Big Black, who has faced the starter 50 times for a remarkable 21 victories.
Box draw for Thursday's 450m Cup
1 Cavatron
2 Aston Duke
3 Aston Dinnigan
4 Tristan Cannon
5 Big Black
6 Hone In
7 Lucky Chap
8 Lagoon Pirate
Reserves
9 Falcon's Fury
10 In The Moonlight
