Next Saturday night's heats promise to launch an exciting Group 1 Ladbrokes Peter Mosman Classic series and last Saturday there were outstanding trials from four young candidates.
Ritza Millie, Sky Wave and Elusive Wave indicated their potential to win the $75,000 to the winner Classic final on June 16 while Burning Fuel, despite being beaten at her Wentworth Park debut, also lost no admirers from a Ladbrokes viewpoint.
The Peter Mosman, first staged in 1952, is the second oldest race on the Sydney calendar, and gets under way next Saturday at Wentworth Park for greyhounds whelped on or after March 1, 2016.
Ritza Millie, who led throughout to win last Saturday's opening event in 29.73, equal fastest time of the night, is a July, 2016 whelping so is clearly eligible for the Peter Mosman.
Saturday's win was Ritza Millie's fifth in seven starts and after the race trainer Mark Gatt said: "She has always had ability but what is really pleasing is that she keeps improving a little each time she races.
"Ritza Millie is from the second litter whelped by my former group race star Ritza Hattie, who has since had a third litter.
"Ritza Hattie's latest pups, now three months old, were sired by my other top notcher Ritza Lenny, who won his 15th Wentworth Park race when he won in 29.83 tonight.''
Trainer Vic Sultana landed a winning double on Saturday with litter sisters Sky Wave and Elusive Wave, who won in 29.74 and 30.08 respectively.
"They are being aimed for the Peter Mosman heats and both of them have a big asset which is their early speed and good box manners,'' Sultana said.
"Sky Wave has always been faster than her sister Elusive Wave, although that greyhound is extremely honest.
"But like a lot of greyhounds, they both perform better when they are able to make the pace and get on the bunny.''
On Saturday Sky Wave led throughout in 29.74 and posted the meeting's quickest first split of 5.42sec.
Elusive Wave took the lead at the first turn from favourite Knock Wave, trained by Sultana's son Darren, and won easily in 30.08.
The Mark Wilcox-trained Burning Fuel, who had won six of seven provincial starts at Bulli and Maitland before finishing second at her Wentworth Park debut on Saturday, will also tackle this week's Peter Mosman heats.
Burning Fuel missed the jump on Saturday and after being hampered slightly at the first turn, finished resolutely to beat all but the winner, Sky Wave.
"I was happy with Burning Fuel's run considering it was her first race at Wenty, and the Peter Mosman heats have always been the plan for her,'' Wilcox said later.
Time honours for last Saturday's meeting were shared by Ritza Millie and Audi Key, with the latter too old to contest the Peter Mosman heats.
Audi Key showed his liking for an outside box with an impressive all the way win in a 520m third and fourth grade, producing a first split of 5.44 before winning in 29.73.
He took his Wentworth Park tally to six wins and seven placings from 27 starts.
Audi Key is raced by Lindsay Davis and Kel Lean and trained by Lean, although he was formerly in Davis' kennels.
"He has come into my care as trainer because I am pursuing a public trainer's licence and needed to acquire a set number of wins to achieve that goal,'' Lean said.
See you next week!
