Victorian greyhounds have won the past nine Ladbrokes Golden Easter Eggs and will be powerfully represented again this year with several prospective visitors trialling impressively at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Ella Enchanted, raced by Sydney businessman Mark Alati but trained in Victoria by Brooke and Jamie Ennis, clocked a sizzling 29.62sec winning a 520m trial.
Ella Enchanted led throughout to beat her kennelmate Tritt Tritt by just on four lengths while Whiskey Riot, trained at Bacchus Marsh by former Sydneysider Anthony Azzopardi, won a 520m trial in 29.84sec.
Brooke and Jamie Ennis know what it takes to win the Easter Egg, having landed the 2014 final with Tonk, who clocked identical time to Ella Enchanted's figures on Saturday.
"My bitch Ella Enchanted won at Wentworth Park last April in 29.48sec and that was before the track was renovated,'' owner Mark Alati said.
"Only reason I transferred her from Londonderry trainer Darren Sultana's kennels to Victoria was because Ella Enchanted is a dead-set middle distance greyhound and there were more opportunities for her to earn big prizemoney down south.
"I realise the 520m of the Easter Egg is really a bit short for her and having just one rival in Saturday's trial suited Ella Enchanted, but she deserves a go in the big race.''
Former Nowra trainer Steve White won the 2005 Golden Easter Egg with the mighty Paua To Burn and he is upbeat about his 2019 contender Fabwik's prospects.
Fabwik trialled solo at Wentworth Park last Saturday, clocking 29.91sec after posting slick middle splits of 13.83sec and 17.93sec.
"She will improve on that time because she lost a bit of weight during the trip up from Melbourne,'' White said at Wentworth Park.
Fabwik's record stands at 39 starts for 22 wins and 10 placings, with her most recent tally being eight wins and a second from 10 appearances.
Whiskey Riot is a brilliant front runner who has had just a dozen races for nine wins and two seconds while Tritt Tritt, who chased home Ella Enchanted in Saturday's trials, is no slouch, having won 20 of 45 outings.
Cowra-trained Dana Beatrice, from Rod McDonald's kennels, was the last "local" to take out the Easter Egg final, in 2009.
Heats of the Group 1 race, first held in 1990, are on April 6 with semis a week later and the $250,000 to the winner final at WP on April 20.
xxxx
ROCKSTAR Patriot, who pulled off one of the biggest upsets in group 1 history when he toppled Tornado Tears in last Saturday night's WA Galaxy, was bred in NSW and formerly trained here by Chris Nutt who shared ownership of the dog with Shaun Evans.
Nutt prepared Rockstar Patriot when the dog ran down the talented Blinken Gone to win a 520m maiden at Dapto on October 31, 2017, but after scoring a win and three placings from eight NSW races Rockstar Patriot was transferred to Victoria.
"Rockstar Patriot did well for Shaun and I in Victoria but while he was an A grader, he wasn't quite in the class of A-plus stayers like Tornado Tears and Rippin' Sam,'' Nutt said.
"Late last year Shaun and I received an offer from WA that was too good to refuse and it came from clients of Perth trainer Paul Stuart, a former Sydneysider who has long been a close friend of ours.''
Now racing in WA under Stuart's care, Rockstar Patriot was sent out as a $33 chance in Saturday's Galaxy when he defeated Tornado Tears, the $1.10 favourite.
The win was no fluke as Rockstar Patriot covered the 715m trip in 42sec, smart time although well outside Tornado Tears' track record figures of 41.25.
Nutt and fellow trainer Shaun Evans bred Rockstar Patriot from their bitch Glory Of Love, who has also produced Costin, a winner of 11 races for Evans, along with Bekim Rose, the dam of Nutt's current exciting youngsters Rockstar Beav and Rockstar Prince.
