Kennelmates Blue Moon Rising, Really Unreal and Blue Summer Sky will be chasing a rare, if not unique, trifecta when they contest Friday night's Newcastle Cup final at LADBROKES GARDENS.
The John Finn-trained Blue Moon Rising and his half siblings and kennelmates Really Unreal and Blue Summer Sky, have qualified for the 715m listed final and have drawn boxes seven, eight and six respectively.
In last year's Newcastle Cup the John Finn-prepared Poco Dorado scored from her kennelmates and siblings Blue Moon Rising and Veloce Nero.
It is doubtful if kennelmates produced from the same brood bitch - in this case Chica Destacada - have filled the trifecta in the same listed race two years in succession.
Blue Moon Rising won his heat last Friday in 41.81, defeating rookie stayer Really Unreal, his young half-sister, by just over a length.
The other heat was taken out by the JODIE Lord-trained Just Terms, who edged out Blue Summer Sky in 41.97.
So while Really Unreal was beaten, she goes into the final as second fastest qualifier.
John Finn's wife Melinda gives Really Unreal a great chance at LADBROKES GARDENS on Friday.
"She is suited by an outside box so having drawn eight, she is clearly our best drawn finalist,'' Finn said.
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BERKSHIRE Park trainer Owen Langley's reputation for transforming average greyhounds into top graders was reinforced at Wentworth Park on Saturday night when Poacher led throughout to defeat Zipping Potter and Dylan's Magic in a 520m fourth grade.
It took Poacher's tally at Wentworth Park to six wins and nine placings from 22 starts and lifted his earnings to $36,000, a far cry from his modest beginnings on the track.
Poacher won his maiden in April at the tender age of 18 months but won only two of his first 12 starts.
Poacher's lack of success was attributed to his tardiness from the starting boxes, but under Langley's patience and skill, the dog has become a smart beginner and prolific winner.
That is nothing new for a Langley-trained greyhound, as when Nimbastic arrived from Brisbane at his Berkshire Park kennels a decade ago, she had won just four of her first 23 starts in minor races.
But when she retired Nimbastic had won a dozen races at WP and was the fastest beginning top grader in training.
Aisle Tifi, who also won 15 races, was another "lid pinging'' Langley protege while his most successful dog was Over Flo, who also won 15 races and took out the group 1 Peter Mosman Classic at WP in 2005.
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CAROLINE Hughes and partner Glen McKinley's keen eyes for bargains were to the fore once again when Too Easy Punk landed a long-priced betting plunge at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Too Easy Punk led throughout in a nippy 30.04, after firming in the betting from $26 to $17.
It was Too Easy Punk's second win at headquarters since Hughes recently purchased the greyhound for $3500.
Too Easy Punk's victory was the first leg of a winning double for the Hughes-McKinley team at Wentworth Park on Saturday, as Fabre Yap, another relatively inexpensive buy won Saturday's final event, a 280m fifth grade.
Fabre Yap, purchased by McKinley early last month, has now won three of four Wentworth Park appearances.
"When 280m races were suddenly being programmed regularly at Wenty I sought out a good short course greyhound and was lucky enough to obtain Fabre Yap,'' McKinley said.
