Burning Fuel only has to begin cleanly to be a great chance of upsetting fastest heat winner Embye in Saturday night's Bulli final of the GRNSW + Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase.
Embye surprised by leading throughout to win his 515m heat in a blistering 28.54sec while Burning Fuel (pictured winning last week) jumped midfield and was forced to work hard to reach the lead before scoring in 28.77.
Embye is set to go out a warm favourite after again drawing box one but Burning Fuel's trainer Mark Wilcox believes his greyhound can win if she jumps away well from box three.
"I have no doubt Burning Fuel can go faster than she did in her heat and she is capable of matching the time Embye clocked last week,'' Wilcox said.
"But Embye is very strong so Burning Fuel needs to be in front of him and on the rails at the first turn.
"Of course it depends on how Burning Fuel jumps, especially as she has Bekin Street and Goldstein, both big 36kg dogs, drawn each side of her.''
Zipping Mitzy, who was a distant second in Embye's heat, has drawn box eight and although she is a railer her trainer Jason Magri gives her a good chance.
"I would have preferred to see her in box one but the extreme outside is definitely next best,'' Magri said.
"Zipping Mitzy began well last week but another dog came out on her in the early stages and if she nails the start on Saturday I believe she could lead around the first bend.''
Magri's classy sprinter Catch Me Curly, who was cruelly robbed of a chance to represent NSW in the Group 1 National Sprint Championship last month, returns in Saturday night's Ladbrokes Odds Boost Free-For-All at Bulli.
Catch Me Curly was favourite to win the NSW final of the Sprint Championship at Wentworth Park on August 11 but had to be scratched due to a wrist injury.
"He is trialling well again and Saturday's race does not look a particularly strong top grade event,'' trainer Magri said.
"Although Catch Me Curly has not started over 472m at Bulli he knows his way around the course as he had a 400m race there earlier in his career and he won.''
Burning Fuel's trainer Mark Wilcox has that greyhound's siblings Scientific Man and Third Vintage in Saturday's Ladbrokes Info Hub Stakes, a 472m fourth and fifth grade.
Scientific Man has box three while Third Vintage, a wide runner, is ideally drawn in box eight.
"If I was having a bet I would back Scientific Man because he is a front runner and a good railer,'' Wilcox said.
"Although they are litter brothers they are totally different because Third Vintage is slow early and races wide but is capable of almost unheard of run-home times at Bulli.
"I expect Scientific Man to lead all the way but if Third Vintage is close to him on the home turn he would probably run him down.''
Former South Australian Turanza's Terror made an impressive NSW debut when second at Bulli on September 8 and can go one better in Saturday's Ladbrokes Cash In Stakes, a 472m fifth grade.
Ron Fisher, whose wife Judy trains Turanza's Terror, said: "He has box eight on Saturday and we thought he handled himself well when second, from box seven, at his first run for us.
"The dog's owner John Clout thinks Turanza's Terror would be better suited from an inside draw but considering he missed the kick and did not crash across to the fence from box seven he is in with a chance this week,'' Fisher said.
"Before he raced at Bulli we gave him a trial there at Bulli another of our dogs, Elzy Lay, who is a city winner, and there was not much between them at the finish.''
Best Bet Burning Fuel (race 6)
Best Value Turanza's Terror (race 2)
Quaddie race 5 - 1, 2
Race 6 - 3, 1, 8
Race 7 - 2, 8
Race 8 - 3, 8, 1
$20 for 55.55%
