Sydney trainer John Finn and owner Denis Donoghue have two finalists in Thursday night's Group 2 Bogie Leigh Queensland Futurity at Albion Park but concede local sensation Wise Misty looks nearly impossible to beat.
Wise Misty, trained by Craig Hazelgrove, led throughout to win her heat from a wide draw last week, covering the 520m in 29.64, fastest time of the series.
It was Wise Misty's 10th successive win and her 12th victory from her past 13 starts.
"She is an absolute machine,'' said Donoghue, who has litter sisters Poco Dorado and Veloce Nero in the final.
"Poco Dorado is well boxed in the final in eight but I don't think she has enough early speed to utilise the draw around a track like Albion Park and she'll be tackling longer races after the Futurity final.''
Wise Misty crossed quickly to the rails when she won her heat so looks well placed in box two on Thursday night, while the other heat winner, the Tom Tzouvelis-trained Brandy Alexander, has box four.
Brandy Alexander edged out Ella Enchanted, trained in Sydney by Darren Sultana, for a narrow heat win in 29.79.
Ella Enchanted has drawn box three in the final.
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Winsome Money, who took out the Group 3 New Sensation at Wentworth Park for trainer John Finn on March 31, won't be joining his kennelmates Poco Dorado and Veloce Nero for a
Brisbane campaign.
Thursday night's heats of the Group 2 Queensland Derby at Albion Park could have been an option for Winsome Money but the brilliant beginner is to tackle Saturday night's heats of the Group 1 Perth Cup over 520m at Cannington.
"Winsome Money is already with leading Perth trainer Paul Stuart for the Cup series and the dog trialled well at Cannington last week,'' Finn said.
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Crafty Lady, the dam of Jason MACKAY's up-and-coming staying stars Zipping Potter and Zipping Katelyn, has a "red hot'' litter about to begin their careers on the track.
Owned by their breeder Marty Hallinan, who also races MACKAY's pair, the youngsters are Zipping Cobra, Klemmer">Zipping Klemmer">Klemmer, Zipping Jess, Zipping Mitzy, Zipping Manuela, Falcon">Zipping Falcon">Falcon and Memphis">Zipping Memphis">Memphis.
Brett Bravo, the Victorian-based trainer of last year's Wentworth Park Golden Easter Egg winner Striker Light, is training Cobra, Klemmer and Jess, while Sydney's Jason Magri has Mitzy, Manuela, Falcon and Memphis.
Magri's quartet have impressed in performance trials, with Zipping Manuela winning in a smart 26.56 over 472m at Bulli on Saturday night and Zipping Mitzy overcoming interference before flashing home to win over the same course a week earlier in a blistering 26.39.
"This litter broke in exceptionally well and Brett Bravo selected the three he is now training,'' Hallinan said.
"Jason Magri was happy to take the pups that were left over and is really pleased with how they are progressing.
"Many Tricks, the great grand-dam of this litter, won the Group 1 Association Cup over 720m for me in 2000 and their mother Crafty Lady, who won nine of 19 starts, was also a stayer.
"But this litter is by Barcia Bale, a good sire of sprinters, so I guess that is where they inherited their early speed.''
Simon Keeping, who won the Group 1 Asociation Cup at Wentworth Park with Hallinan as trainer on March 31, is in Perth for Saturday night's heats of the Group 1 Cannington Galaxy over
715m.
Simon Keeping headed to WA in preference to starting in Saturday night's Group 3 Wentworth Park Gold Cup over 720m.
