The GRNSW + Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase has already seen some fast and competitive racing around the State, but at Dubbo on Friday night the series delivered its first track record performance when Midnight Starlet set the track alight.
Expected to be back in the field and charging home, onlookers were stunned when the David Pringle-trained greyhound jumped well, and was in front as they headed into the first turn. From there, and with the second favourite Little Digger back in the pack, victory looked assured, the biggest question was surrounding the margin and time.
Both were impressive.
Midnight Starlet had four and a quarter lengths to spare over a gallant and fast finishing Little Digger, and the clock … it stopped at 29.27s, which was 0.03s inside the previous track record set by Brad Hill Billy back in April 2016.
Little Digger clocked 29.56s and he too, along with the winner, will now head to Wentworth Park on October 12 for the semi-finals of the Million Dollar Chase.
Midnight Starlet was prepared for the Dubbo Chase series by David Pringle, whose wife Danielle bred and owns the bitch. She had been racing in Victoria prior to heading to the NSW Central West however, under the care of leading trainer Seona Thompson.
Pringle did originally train Midnight Starlet, and had some success in her first seven starts, before sending her to Melbourne to Thompson. The bitch has had nine starts for the Victorian trainer and had won four and been placed in three of those outings.
Midnight Starlet will now return to Thompson’s kennel, and she will bring the bitch to Wentworth Park for the semi-finals.
Third place in the event went to the Charmaine Roberts-trained Cliff Keeping, a further two lengths behind Little Digger.
As the series heads to Wentworth Park on Saturday for the City Qualifying heats, we have now had qualifiers locked into semi-final spots from six regional centres: Bathurst, Lismore, Wagga Wagga, Maitland, Bulli and now Dubbo.
So far the dogs through to the semis are: Rohan Hill and Double Up Dee from Bathurst, Snug and Raven Izmir from Lismore, Big Black and She’s Gifted from Maitland, Embye and Zipping Mitzy from Bulli, Blue Sky Riot and King Jeremy from Wagga Wagga and now Midnight Starlet and Little Digger from Dubbo.
The regional series continues on Sunday with the final at Temora, followed by finals at Grafton and Nowra on Monday, and then Richmond and The Gardens next Friday.
