It's "oldies but goodies'' night at Wentworth Park on Saturday with two of the sport's favourites, Blue Moon Rising and Sunburnt Highway, doing battle in the opening event, the GBOTA Welcome Masters Stakes.
Between them these crowd favourites have racked up 240 starts, with Blue Moon Rising registering 44 wins and 57 placings from 137 races and Sunburnt Highway notching 25 wins and 39 placings through 103 appearances.
Blue Moon Rising, who is equally at home over the Wentworth Park 520m and 720m trips, will start from box three in Saturday's shorter race while Sunburnt Highway has drawn box four.
Sunburnt Highway, who has just become eligible for Masters races, has not raced since winning at Wentworth Park on August 15 in 29.77s, his personal best time at the track.
Trainer Judith Richardson, who races the dog with husband John, said: "We haven't trialled him since that race but we never trial him between races.
"Every two days John whistles him up our 350m slipping track and Billy (Sunburnt Highway) comes up as hard as if he is chasing the lure.
"Then 48 hours before he is due to race we put him behind the lure on our straight track and on Thursday morning Sunburnt Highway seemed to be flying along.
"John changed Billy's diet recently and that has given the dog a new lease of life, he seems so happy all the time and is jumping out of his skin.''
Melinda Finn, whose husband John trains Blue Moon Rising, said: "We are going to keep him fresh now and are planning to target the 520m Masters Meteor rather than the 720m Sydney Cup at the Million Dollar Chase carnival in October.''
Eagle Rock finished a distant third to his sensational litter brother Flying Ricciardo at his most recent start, at Wentworth Park on August 13, but should make amends in Saturday's Congratulations Mitchell Aubusson Stakes, 520m.
Eagle Rock collided with Vamos Penny entering the back straight and while he was not going to catch Flying Ricciardo, he was probably unlucky not to finish second.
Class greyhounds like Chrome and Vamos Penny, both subsequently brilliant Wenty winners, finished behind Eagle Rock in that race and the Lynne Aldous-trained dog meets weaker opposition on Saturday.
"Eagle Rock is a really bad traveller, and I am going to start putting him in the car when I go shopping or run other errands because otherwise he identifies the car with going to the races and gets too excited,'' Aldous said.
Surprise Fling is ideally positioned in box one in Saturday's Million Dollar Chase Coming Soon Stakes and trainer Rod Metselaar is confident so long as she begins cleanly.
"She came out running from box seven when she led all the way at Wentworth Park on August 19 and is more suitably drawn on Saturday,'' Metselaar said.
"But she cannot afford to miss the kick because I've seen good beginners dwell at the start from box one at Wenty and when that happens they get cut out in the run to the first turn.''
Saturday's best bet should be Saucy Smile, who is suitably placed out wide in box six in the Where Else But Wenty Stakes, 520m.
Saucy Smile had box one when she won in her personal best Wentworth Park time of 30.15s on Wednesday night but after beginning fast she ran off the track at the first turn.
This allowed Zambora Zipper to rail to the lead but Saucy Smile, looking more comfortable out wide, ran that greyhound down in the straight.
She tackles what appears to be a weaker fifth grade on Saturday so has effectively "beaten'' the grader.''
