Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg
Victorian trainer David Geall will be looking to become the first trainer in the 30 year history of the Golden Easter Egg to win back to back trophies, when Miss Splendamiro contests this Saturday’s $250,000 to the winner, Ladbrokes’ sponsored, event.
Geall - who won the event in 2018 with Up Hill Jill - qualified Miss Splendamiro in last Saturday’s semi-finals when she finished second to Blue Striker. Miss Splendamiro incidentally started favourite in last year’s Easter Egg final, before joining Geall’s kennel in late 2018.
The Lagogianes – husband and wife Peter and JODIE – will be looking to claim another big NSW event, having taken out the inaugural GRNSW + Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase in October with Mystic Riot.
They will be represented by the early pre-race favourite Federal Lilly who defeated Banjo Tifia in her semi-final.
Banjo Tifia has given Nowra trainer CHRIS O’Brien one of his biggest thrills by qualifying. O’Brien’s biggest win was when Bajo Tifia’s mother, Tifia, won the Magic Maiden Final on Golden Easter Egg night back in 2012.
On that same night Don’t Knocka Him won the Egg, trained by Jason Thompson. Jason also won in 2016 with Moreira, and this year he and his wife Seona have qualified the second favourite Black Opium, who along with Darren Sultana’s Black Forge, advanced from the opening semi.
The other qualifiers for the rich final are Jason Mackay’s Zipping Bailey and the Forbes-trained Irinka Lizzy.
Box draw for the Easter Egg is 1 Black Opium 2 Irinka Lizzy 3 Black Forge 4 Banjo Tifia 5 Federal Lilly 6 Zipping Bailey 7 Blue Striker 8 Miss Splendamiro with reserves Sunburnt Highway and Fabwik.
Watch Federal Lilly’s Easter Egg semi win here.
A Tornado hits Wenty and causes records to be broken
The Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg semis may have been the highlight on paper, but on the track at Wentworth Park on Saturday night, it was heat one of the Association Cup and its winner, Tornado Tears, stealing the show.
Trained in Victoria by Rob Britton for the NSW central coast-based Millmi Syndicate, Tornado Tears, sometimes a risky at box rise, came out running and produced the fastest 720m ever posted at Wentworth Park.
Xylia Allen, another Victorian-trained, NSW-owned greyhound, had held the record of 41.53s for five years, but Tornado Tears shattered those figures, stopping the clock at 41.38s after leading throughout.
Sydney's best stayer Poco Dorado was gallant in defeat, chasing Tornado Tears all the way but going down by nearly seven lengths.
Poco Dorado's littermates Blue Moon Rising and Veloce Nero had to be content with second and third placings in the other Association Cup heat, with Dyna Chancer, trained in Victoria by Correy Grenfell, scoring by just under a length in 41.94s.
Watch Tornado Tears shatter the Wenty 720m record here.
Magic Maiden
Saturday night at Wentworth Park will see a number of Group events, and one of the most intriguing will be the Group 3 Ladbrokes Magic Maiden final.
In what can only be described as remarkable, six pups from the same litter will contest the final.
Six littermates from the Barcia Bale-Chica Destacada mating, ran in last Wednesday night’s four semi-finals of the Magic Maiden, and incredibly all six advanced to the final.
Timeless Moment, trained by Kerry Drynan, whose mother Doreen trained Chica Destacada, was the fastest of the six to qualify, with the other quintet - Really Unreal, Blanco Caliente, Dreamin’ Is Free, Making A Memory and Blue Summer Sky - all trained by John Finn and his wife Minnie.
The Finns have regularly had four littermates from Chica Destacada’s first litter, to Fernando Bale - Poco Dorado, Two Times Twice, Veloce Nero and Blue Moon Rising - engaged and racing successfully together in staying feature events at Wentworth Park, but this even surpasses that.
It also has added a few dollars to the likely price tags of three pups from Chica Destacada’s the next litter, a return mating with Fernando Bale, which will be offered at the inaugural Gold Muzzle Auction to be held at Richmond on June 23.
Watch Really Unreal win her semi-final here.
Huge night of features on Saturday
The Golden Easter Egg, the Association Cup, and the Magic Maiden, will be joined by the Group 3 New Sensation, the Group 3 Ambrosoli, and the listed Ultra Sense.
Five heats of the New Sensation were conducted at Wentworth Park last Wednesday, and the star was Dennis Barnes-trained Nangar Diva.
Nangar Diva had contested the heats of the Golden Easter Egg five nights earlier, and fell heavily on the first turn. But she showed she had taken no harm from the fall, bouncing out of box eight, and carving out a slick 29.55s.
Another impressive winner was Ray Smith’s Feral Franky who, despite being slowly away, and being last at the post the first time, railed through and took the lead heading out of the back straight, racing away to score easily in a fast 29.75s.
Other heats winners were King Cratos (29.67s), Cee Jay’s Boy (30.05s), and Boxcar Bella (30.41s), with the fastest three second placegetters - Campini, Twice As Wise, and Cawborne Marty - also through to the $25,000 to the winner final.
The box draw is 1 Feral Franky 2 King Cratos 3 Boxcar Bella 4 Cawbourne Matty 5 Nangar Diva 6 Campini 7 Twice As Nice 8 Cee Jay's Boy with reserves Telegraph Road and Young Buster.
The Ambrosoli is the consolation for the Easter Egg with third and fourth placegetters from the semi-finals engaged.
It looms as a great race with Fernando Blaster, Jamella Jet, Fabwik and Million Dollar Chase winner Mystic Riot all engaged, while Queenslander Dam Slippery is one of the stars to contest the Ultra Sense final.
Watch Nangar Diva New Sensation heat win here
Neds Friday Night Lightning
The incredibly successful neds Friday Night Lightning series came to a close last week with the fifth and final event of this series held at Wentworth Park.
While there has been some great sprint racing across the five Fridays it was the only event of the 50 held, not run over 280m, which was a highlight on Friday, with the Ruth Matic-trained Embye making arguably the most impressive long-distance debut seen at Wentworth Park when he came from fourth at the first turn to win in dashing figures of 41.88s.
Allen Ivers was crowned the winner of the trainer’s award, and collected $7,000 for his efforts.
Head here to see the final trainers' leader board.
GAP National Adoption Day looming
It was a tremendously successful day at the new Greyhounds As Pets facility at Western Sydney recently and next on the agenda will be the National Adoption Day on April 28 at Wentworth Park.
The day was a huge success both nationally and local in 2018, with 42 greyhounds finding forever homes as a result of Wentworth Park event.
For more information on greyhound adoption head to the www.gapnsw.com.au
