Benkennie Chic will continue her late bid for inclusion in the Ladbrokes Back Yourself Challenge lineup by contesting next Wednesday's last remaining heat, transferred from Gosford to Wentworth Park.
The Peter Mantach-trained bitch powered home to beat a hot field in a 520m heat at Bathurst on Monday, clocking a nippy 30.16 and taking her Challenge tally to 54 points.
Benkennie Chic showed her liking for an inside draw at Bathurst, finishing strongly along the rails after exiting box three.
She has been plagued by unsuitable outside traps for much of her career and while her Wentworth Park maiden win, recorded from box six in January, was in 30.56, Mantach is confident she can go much faster.
"Benkennie Chic has won at Nowra in 29.78 and they don't go much quicker than that so with a clear run I think she can get down to around the 30sec flat mark at Wentworth Park,'' Mantach said.
"She has done well to accrue as many points as she has for the Challenge because she missed some of the early races with a toe injury.''
The Ladbrokes Back Yourself Challenge finals, over 520m and 720m, will be held at Wentworth Park on June 16 and each is worth $20,000 to the winner.
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Good Odds Angel, who had a litter of puppies nearly five months ago and turns five in October, scored her second win in three "comeback'' races at Bathurst on Monday.
The Frank Hurst-trained speedster had been retired to the breeding barn last August but won over 330m at Richmond before scoring in a smart 17.69 in a 307m Bathurst event on Monday.
This marvel of the track has now won 27 of 86 races, with 15 of those victories over 520m at Wentworth Park.
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Popular Primbee (south coast) trainer Darcy Martin has died after a short illness.
Darcy and his wife June were in the winner's circle at Wentworth Park with Esther, whose 13 wins from 36 races included three at headquarters during 2008.
But their best greyhound in recent times has been short course star Goanna Man, who won 20 of 88 appearances and was runner-up over 280m at Wentworth Park in December, 2013, and a month later in 2014.
The Martins were always renowned for their patience, and while Goanna Man was beaten at his first two dozen races his connections' perseverance was eventually rewarded.
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Velocity Liberty's come-from-behind win over 400m at Bulli last Saturday has prompted south coast trainer Robyn Goodwin to nominate the greyhound for Saturday night's heats of the Group 1 Ladbrokes Peter Mosman Classic at Wentworth Park.
"It is obviously going to be a tough race but we have decided to throw Velocity Liberty to the wolves because she went so well at Bulli,'' Goodwin's husband Glen said.
"Velocity Liberty usually begins like a rocket but when she missed the start at Bulli we thought she was gone.
"But she swept around them to hit the front on the home turn and clocked 22.44, a flying run for the 400m trip.
"Although Velocity Liberty has won twice over 520m at Wentworth Park in 30.26 we weren't going to put her in the Classic because we thought it might be a bit rich for her, but her Bulli win told us she deserved a crack.''
