THE under-rated Midnight Starlet will make full use of her box one draw and looms as the major obstacle to Little Digger continuing his winning streak in Friday night's Dubbo regional final of the GRNSW + Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase.
Little Digger, trained by Raymond Smith at FORBES, is a top grader at Wentworth Park and goes into the race as the winner of 20 from 40 races, including a flawless Dubbo tally of five wins from five starts.
And while Little Digger, who has box eight, is a good railer who would seem better suited drawn closer to the fence, the dog's remarkable track sense has seen him wear the pink rug to victory in a top class Wentworth Park race on July 7 as well as winning in fast time from box seven at Dubbo last December.
But Midnight Starlet's caretaker trainer David Pringle, whose wife Danielle bred and owns the greyhound, is quietly confident of springing a surprise.
"When Midnight Starlet finished fourth to Little Digger in her heat she had drawn poorly in box six and after being at the back of the field going through the pen she wound up just three lengths from the winner,'' Pringle said.
"Midnight Starlet still clocked fast time of 29.80 getting beaten and can go a lot quicker from box one.
"I think the result of Friday's race will hinge on whether Little Digger or Midnight Starlet gets the clearer run.''
Midnight Starlet has won each of her two races from box one, at Melbourne's Sandown and The Meadows, and will return to her Victorian trainer Seona Thompson after the Dubbo Chase final.
"Win or lose on Friday, Midnight Starlet goes back to Seona and if we are in the Chase semis at Wenty on October 12 she will bring her back to Sydney for those races,'' Pringle said.
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Royal Turbo, among the most popular dogs to race at Wentworth Park in recent years, could be on the comeback trail in six weeks.
The dog has not raced since July when he tore a pin muscle but subsequently suffered a more serious injury, a partially dropped back leg muscle, when trialing up the straight at Appin.
"He is jumping out of his skin now and we are working him up to fitness gradually via the walking machine,'' Caroline Hughes, whose partner Glen McKinley trains the dogs, said.
"We are just waiting on getting the all clear from our veterinary surgeon before we start galloping him again but he believes the dog should be back in work in about six weeks.''
Royal Turbo boasts the marvellous record of 22 wins and 20 placings from 78 starts and is at his best at Wentworth Park where he has registered 16 wins and 17 placings.
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Gagan Colin, who pulled off a $16 outsider's boilover at Bulli last Saturday night, is owned and trained at Belmont by John Robinson, whose son Allan was a former leading jockey.
Gagan Colin won for John Robinson, a retired wharf labourer, at Wentworth Park in November when trained by Steve Bennie.
Robinson is now training the dog himself and after being in his kennels when he pulled off his upset Bulli win Gagan Colin will be out to give the owner his first Wentworth Park winner as a trainer on Saturday night.
Gagan Colin has box one in the opening event, a 520m fifth grade when he takes on Finale, a winner of his past three starts and the highly regarded Victorian Dyna Bitey, from the Andrea Dailly kennels.
Allan Robinson rode a record 207 winners in the 1998-99 season and was a popular "celebrity'' jockey who became a regular guest on television's The Footy Show.
"Gagan Colin is named after a 400 acre property my grandfather established at Inverell in 1892 and I was always keen to honour the name with a capable greyhound,'' John Robinson said.
