Good Juan makes his long awaited return to 720m racing in the Ladbrokes Switch Stakes while Good Odds Harada, fresh from a near record breaking win over 400m at Bulli on July 21, will contest the 520m Evans And Son Jewellers Free-For-All.
Trainer Frank Hurst took Good Odds Harada to Wentworth Park on Tuesday night and gave the dog a post-to-post hand-slip with the MDC winner "running the hands off the clock.''
Hurst said: "He recorded 23.86 which is absolutely flying, so this dog is going as good as ever.''
Good Juan has been runner-up at his two most recent races, over 618m at Richmond on July 10 and 565m at Maitland three days later, but trainer Harry Sarkis expects the dog to relish getting back over a long distance on Saturday night.
"Since the Maitland race I have given Good Juan two trials over 717m at Richmond and he went super both times,'' Sarkis said.
"In the first trial he broke the track record, clocking 41.55s, while he only recorded a quick 41.80 in the second hit-out, as that hard initial run had flattened him to some extent.
"He has box seven on Saturday night and I don't mind seeing him boxed wide, although because he is such a slow beginner the draw doesn't matter much to him.
"I have tried every trick in the book to get Good Juan to begin better but am resigned to the fact that he is a bad box dog and always will be.
"When Good Juan broke the 717m record in the Richmond trial he beat his kennelmate Big Skinny by 10 lengths, but she made the pace and I think she can run a place behind him on Saturday night.''
Trainer Kerry Drynan was pleasantly surprised at how well Saucy Smile went from box seven in her GBOTA Welcome Maiden Series heat win at Wentworth Park on July 22 so is pleased to see her bitch in box eight in this week's final.
"Saucy Smile handled the wide draw perfectly in the heat so I was hoping she would draw box eight in the final,'' Drynan said.
"Defining Moment led to the home turn when third, beaten just under two lengths, in Nangar Ridge's heat, and because she is a good railer I wanted her drawn near the fence.
"Defining Moment has box three so I'm really happy with the final draw.''
The Drynan kennel is in top form as her stayer Pearl Of Tahiti has won four of five Wentworth Park 720m races and Vamos Penny, who won the recent Magic Maiden final at Wenty, took out Tuesday night's $7500 to the winner Ladbrokes Super Series Final at Gosford.
Hardest for Drynan's duo to toss on Saturday night looks certain to be the Dennis Barnes-trained Nangar Ridge, who clipped the heels of Tomato Tears before coming from third leaving the back straight to beat that dog by a half head in 30.11.
Saucy Smile had won in 30.24 but her sister Defining Moment posted quickest first and second sectional times of 5.49 and 14.04.
Another mouth-watering clash on Saturday night looms in race five, the 520m Where Else But Wenty fourth and fifth grade, with Zipping Bram and Zipping Zeek meeting from boxes seven and eight respectively.
While the wide draw suits Zipping Bram, Zipping Zeek, who is almost certainly the quicker of the pair, would be better positioned drawn on the rails.
