Zipping Bram's near record win over 618m at Richmond last Friday prompted trainer Mick Hardman to "threw the dog in at the deep end'' to take on top graders at his Wentworth Park 720m debut on Saturday night.
Zipping Bram, a long-distance fifth grader, will tackle established 720m stars Just Terms, Blue Moon Rising, Mrs Emgrand and Embye in the open class Sydney FC Champions Again Stakes.
"As soon as I heard that Good Juan, the best stayer in NSW, was to do his future racing in Victoria, I decided to prepare Zipping Bram for the Sydney Cup,'' Hardman said.
"His mission originally was the 520m Million Dollar Chase but when Good Juan headed south I changed plans and decided to aim Zipping Bram for the 720m Sydney Cup in October.
"The final on October 16 is worth $100,000 to the winner and now looks the right race for my dog.
"Zipping Bram has not been tested over 720m but has had sufficient work so if he is going to be able to run the distance he is certainly fit enough.
"He has had a 650m hand-slip at Wenty and when he won in 35.17, just .17sec outside Space Star's track record at Richmond last Friday, he ran home in 15.28.
"They say if a dog breaks 16 run home that is going pretty good, which gives you an idea of how fast Zipping Bram's time was.
"I took him back to Richmond this week for another trial and he recorded about the same overall and run home times for the 618m trip.''
Mrs Emgrand, a proven Wentworth Park staying star who has clocked a sizzling 41.98 for the 720m journey there, is resuming after a long spell but will exit box one, while Zipping Bram, a wide runner, is well drawn in seven.
Mrs Emgrand's trainer Luke Azzopardi said: "She has had enough work for the 720m but has only been trialling steadily.
"She has been showing good early pace but not getting to the line the way she should.
"Just the same Mrs Emgrand has never gone fast in solo trials, she is more of a competitor, but I'm not confident against Saturday's hot field.''
Amarillo Highway has not won in four Wentworth Park outings since joining Finn's kennels from Victoria in late July but could be ready to break through in Saturday night's 520m Ladbrokes Cash In Stakes.
Amarillo Highway produced his best Wenty performance when a luckless fifth in Winlock On Top's Free-For-All last Saturday night.
The dog trailed the winner until leaving the back straight where he clipped Winlock On Top's heels and almost fell.
"I thought Amarillo Highway was going to win until he ran into the back of the leader last week,'' Melinda Finn said.
"Amarillo Highway is a lot better than his form reads because he can trial really fast.''
Best bet on Saturday looms as Storm Bay, a slow beginner who will relish having just six rivals in the 520m Happy Father's Day Stakes.
After Storm Bay came from last and suffered a severe check before finishing second to High Expectation in a similar Wentworth Park race last Saturday, Dennis Keene, whose wife Betty trains the dog said: "He is a quick greyhound but is a terrible beginner and does not have a lot of early speed.
"Storm Bay is really crying out for longer than 520m but there is no money in middle distance races so I am hoping to find the right race for him at Wenty.
The Keenes have surely found that event for Storm Bay on Saturday.
