Stanley Road, widely considered unlucky not to be in Friday night's TAB Million Dollar Chase semi-finals, will instead Chase a $4000 cheque in tonight's 10th race, a modest fifth grade over 520m.
The Mark Gatt-trained dog clocked a near record 30.21 to win a 535m Richmond heat of the Million Dollar Chase before missing the jump and finding early trouble in the regional final, finishing last to Faithy Bale, who won in 30.47.
"After the Richmond final I was thinking of giving Stanley Road another crack at a Million Dollar Chase qualifier but decided he was too inexperienced, just too young in the head,'' Gatt said.
'He has a massive motor and is as fast as Ritza Coen, who has won a stack of races at Wenty and has reached the Chase semi-finals.
"Frustratingly Stanley Road is also a month too old for Saturday's heats of the Young Star Classic at Wenty so I decided to put him in this fifth grade race.
"From box four Stanley Road is going to need to get a couple of green lights during the race but he has a big finishing burst.''
Gatt regards Blue Tiger as his toughest opponent tonight and that dog's trainer Scott TYSON is quietly confident.
Blue Tiger has had four wins and three placings from seven starts at the provincials and TYSON is pleased with his dog's box eight draw.
"He runs straight from the boxes to the first turn so the draw looks good,'' TYSON said.
"Blue Tiger had his first look at WP last week and he trialled 30.25 for the 520m.
"I was happy with that time and the run should improve him.
"I trained Blue Tiger's dam Prancing Tiger and she won at WP in 2015 and 2017 and has been a marvellous producer, with her first two litters having won something like 50 races from 150 starts.''
Trainer Mark Gatt could land a winning double as his smart sprinter Crawl is well fancied for his WP debut in tonight's seventh race, a 520m fifth grade.
"Crawl has box six and is well drawn because he is a wide runner,'' Gatt said.
"Although he hasn't raced at Wentworth Park he knows his way around the track because I trialled him there and he clocked 30.30.
"He probably needs to go straight to the front in this race but if he does I expect him to get down to 30.10 or 30.15 for the 520m trip.''
Despite his sixth in slow time at his first Wentworth Park appearance last Wednesday, Zambora Bruno is tipped to be Crawl's toughest opponent tonight.
Last week Zambora Bruno missed the jump from box six and was never in the hunt but had been a heavily backed $3.10 chance on the strength of reported sizzling trials at LADBROKES GARDENS.
The Steve Davies-trained greyhound had bolted in over 450m at Maitland in a handy 25.33 on August 24 when sent out a long odds-on hotpot at $1.28.
Zambora Bruno has come up with an ideal box one draw tonight.
Trainer Barry Gibbons has been having a stellar year and his winning streak should continue tonight with Old Mick Banner looking a class above his rivals in race eight, a 520m third and fourth grade.
Old Mick Banner led throughout for a nine lengths' winning romp at his most recent start, over 600m at LADBROKES GARDENS on September 19, a fortnight after clocking a nippy 30.16 in leading all the way at his latest Wentworth Park 520m outing.
