"It will be interesting at my place this week,'' quipped Ebby Jet Power's trainer Michael Eberand after his dog qualified as second fastest qualifier for Saturday night's group 1 Vic Peters Classic final behind WA-trained Tommy Shelby.
Tommy Shelby came out running to win his heat in 29.44, fastest time recorded at WP on Saturday night, while Ebby Jet Power led throughout in 29.51, second quickest of the meeting.
Eberand explained that Tommy Shelby and his trainer Steve Withers had been staying at the Sydney trainer's Oakville property and would continue to do so in the week leading up to the final.
"I am happy with my dog's draw because while he can be a fraction steady for the first step or two he picks up momentum quickly and he is often capable of coming out really fast like he did tonight,'' Tommy Shelby's trainer Steve Withers said.
"But Catch The Thief, who finished third in Zipping Sheldon's 29.90 heat tonight, is a fraction quicker than my dog so he is going to be hard to beat too,'' Withers added.
Matt Clark's crack Victorian sprinter Catch The Thief drew box five in the final while his kennelmate and litter brother Playlist drew box one.
"I wasn't disappointed with the heat performances of my two runners because they travelled poorly on the trip up from Victoria to Sydney on Friday,'' Clark said.
"The stewards advised me that because of the uncertainty over COVID-19 it might be prudent for me to come up a day early and it was good advice.
"But I had to kennel the dogs over night at Potts Park greyhound track at Yagoona, where I spent the night sleeping on a blanket on the floor of the kennel block, so it wasn't ideal for me or the dogs.''
Trainer Jason Magri is pleased with his dog Zipping Zeek's box three draw in the Vic Peters.
"I was rapt in his fast finishing second behind Tommy Shelby in his heat and I think my dog can get a nice run from box three in the final,'' Magri said.
Lilly Banner led throughout from box seven to set the time standard of 29.75 in Saturday night's group 1 Peter Mosman Opal and will wear the black rug again in next week's final.
"I'm not excited about her having to go from box seven again but at least she had a dress rehearsal from that draw tonight,'' trainer Barry Gibbons said after Lilly Banner's heat win on Saturday.
Nangar Silk, who led throughout to win her Opal heat from box eight in 29.82, has also drawn the same box in next Saturday's WP final.
"She handled the outside surprisingly well tonight so box eight in the final looks okay,'' owner Dennis Barnes said regarding the prospects of his DAVE Irwin-trained bitch in the Opal run-off.
Second fastest Opal heat winner was Fire On Ice, who came from third on the home bend to win her heat in 29.77.
"She had box six tonight and I was hoping for an inside box with her in the final but she has come up with box five,'' trainer Mark Moroney said on Saturday.
"Fire On Ice has not drawn closer to the rails than box four in her past seven starts so I was hoping her luck would change for the final.''
The oly trainer with two runners in the Peter Mosman Opal is hobby trainer Steve Fitch, who has litter sisters Cumbria Belle and Cumbria Ninno in boxes one and four respectively.
Cumbria Ninno led throughout to win her heat on Saturday in 29.89 while Cumbria Belle was slowly away before finishing second behind Lilly Banner in 29.75.
"Cumbria Ninno would be better suited drawn wide in the final so from box one I think Cumbria Belle is my better prospect, especially as she has more early pace than her sister and kennelmate,'' Fitch said.
Peter Mosman Opal draw is 1 Cumbria Belle 2 Memories One 3 Junk Food Junkie 4 Cumbria Ninno 5 Fire On Ice 6 Midnight Flash 7 Lilly Banner 8 Nangar Silk with reserves GINA Keeping and Nev's Gift.
