Simon Told Helen will be chasing a rare triple crown when he steps out of box four in Friday night's group 1 Ladbrokes National Derby at Wentworth Park.
Simon Told Helen set a scorching pace before being run down by Hard Style Rico in his Derby heat last Friday and has the early zip required to overcome his squeeze draw in the final.
"He has won the Queensland Derby and the Silver Chief Classic finals and I've been reliably informed no greyhound has ever won those races as well as the National Derby at Wenty,'' Simon Told Helen's trainer David Burnett said.
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JASON Magri looked shattered when King Cratos (pictured) came up with box eight in next Friday's Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder final but his outlook changed when Oakvale Beauty drew box six and Caishen was allotted box seven.
"I was terribly disappointed when King Cratos drew the extreme outside but Oakvale Beauty showed good pace to win her heat and she rails well, while Caishen ran a blistering first split in his heat.
"Caishen goes hard left to the first turn so him having box seven could give King Cratos a good slide,'' trainer Magri said.
"My dog will need to begin smartly but I must admit after studying the full draw I have a spring in my step again.''
Meanwhile Buck's Future, the 2019 Paws Of Thunder winner, charged into the 2020 final with his strong finishing second in the heat won by King Cratos.
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PLENTY of experts believe Blue Moon Rising has the job ahead in Friday's Summer Distance Plate final at Wentworth Park due to his box seven draw.
But part-owner Peter McDermott is quick to point out that his wonderful warrior has won two group 1 finals while wearing the black rug.
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THEIR greyhounds will be among the outsiders for Friday's Paws Of Thunder but trainers Peter Honnery, with Connie's Boy, and Caishen's owners Charlie and Matthew Riccio, are over the moon just to be in the big race.
Honnery, 60, who has been planning holiday times with wife Connie through retiring recently after 40 years working for the same employer, a steel tubing company, said: "Making the final of the Derby is the icing on the cake.
"I told the owners Connie's Boy lacks the early zip to be a top liner but he has won a dozen races and now has qualified for one of the biggest events on the calendar.
"Box two in the final is great, as well.''
Caishen's part-owner Charlie Riccio is the uncle of stage and recording star Mark Vincent, whose voice is heard singing the National Anthem before every Wentworth Park race meeting.
"Mark recorded his version of Advance Australia Fair when he was just 15,'' a justifiably proud Riccio said.
"Caishen probably can't break 30 seconds at Wenty so it's unlikely he can win the Paws Of Thunder, but to have him in it is a huge buzz and a tribute to his trainer, Anthony Azzopardi.''
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CAROLINE Hughes, whose partner Glen McKinley owns and trains China O'Brien, was being totally unselfish when she hoped for box eight for their greyhound in next Friday's Summer Distance Plate.
Before she plucked box eight for China O'Brien, Hughes said: "I really want the extreme outside because if our bitch draws on the rails she spears off the track in the early stages.
"I would hate to see her cause interference to any other finalists.''
