Ray Smith isn’t looking for something special, something out of the ordinary, he’s simply hoping for exactly what he got last week when his kennel star Little Digger contests the regional final of the GRNSW + Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase tonight.
The Dubbo leg of the regional series only attracted enough dogs for one heat – or a prelude – as some referred to it as. It meant that the dogs raced in the heat, and then were redrawn boxes for the final, eight nights later.
Last Thursday, it was Smith’s Little Digger who maintained his unbeaten record at the Central West track, winning in a handy 29.60s, but Smith knows there were a couple of handy runs in the race and a win and berth in the Chase semi-finals, is not a forgone conclusion.
“We all know in racing plans don’t always work out the way you expect them to,” Smith said. “He got a bit of check going through the pen and recovered, and got the job done. I was happy with the run.”
Little Digger came out of the five last week and found his way into a handy spot. He’s drawn out in the eight in the final, and while it’s not ideal, it’s not distressing for Smith.
“It won’t be too bad,” he said of the pink. “I don’t mind the outside there. You just don’t want anything to run you off on the first turn, because he’s not going to be in front most likely.
“But he’s won three from five off the eight and he’s getting very tractable these days, so we just hope he can negotiate his way through the field.”
Smith agrees with the bookmakers that the danger to his dog is the one, Midnight Starlet.
Midnight Scarlett, normally trained by Seona Thompson in Victoria, is under the care of David Pringle, whose wife Danielle bred and owns the bitch.
In the heat she was the eye-catching run, finishing fourth and making up good ground late.
“Her run last week was very good. I had a good look and we won’t want to be behind her (early) that’s for sure,” Smith said. “We need to be in front of her and just see what happens from there. Little Digger is strong but she looks exceptionally strong.
“If we happen to get held up at all, and she, Midnight Starlet, gets a clear passage along the fence, she’ll be hard to hold out.
“There’s a few in the race who you can’t forget. The dog of Charmaine’s (Roberts), Cliff Keeping, went well, and the dog of Graham Dixon, Bogan Villa, also ran a good race last week, but he tends to mix his form a bit.”
Little Digger is not only considered a good chance in the Dubbo decider, he is among the leading contenders for the overall series. And justifiably so, with a record of nine wins at Wentworth Park and a best time of 29.77s.
