Sunburnt Highway missed racing at Wentworth Park last week but trainer Judith Richardson is not concerned that minor setback will affect his chances in tonight's fourth heat of the Masters Meteor.
Known as Billy to Judith and her husband John, Sunburnt Highway is early favourite for the $100,000 to the winner Meteor, to be held at Wentworth Park on Million Dollar Chase night, October 16.
"The morning after he won his 17th Wenty race on September 26 Sunburnt Highway was a little bit sore so we decided against nominating him for the following Saturday meeting on October 3,'' Richardson said.
"We would have liked to have topped him off for the Meteor heats by giving him another race but he is okay because he has been slipping fast up our straight track.
"And he tears around our paddocks every day as if he was a puppy so is jumping out of his skin.
"He has box seven on Saturday so needs to jump cleanly as I think this race will be decided on what happens at the start.''
Blabba Mouth, who finished third in the 2018 Meteor final and won the big event last year, returns to racing in heat two despite being over six years old.
Blabba Mouth's rivals in heat two include Kroes, who made the pace before finishing fourth in the 2019 final.
Donna Campbell, trainer of Kroes, also has Time Lee Money in Saturday's third heat of the Meteor and rates that greyhound her better prospect.
"Kroes won in fast time over 350m at Goulburn two starts back and then won a short race at Bulli but I would have liked more time to have her ready to run a solid 520m,'' Campbell said.
"She fractured a shoulder at Bulli on January 11 and has had just three sprint races after being out of action for more than seven months.
"Time Lee Money was going really well until he tore the webbing on a foot at his last start at Bulli on September 15 but he is a tough old dog so got over it quickly.
"On Saturday he will be having his first run since then so will nice and fresh and has a great chance of being the pacemaker.
"If he gets beaten it will probably only be over the final 50 metres.''
Time Lee Money won three races at Wentworth Park in 2018 and won again at headquarters in January but has gone as well as ever in subsequent outings, scoring four wins and five placings from nine starts.
Saturday's Wentworth Park card also features four heats of the Young Star Classic, restricted to juveniles whelped on or after July, 2018.
Last year's winner was Jet Jackson, trained by the late Troy Donaldson, while runner-up Electric Silk was trained by Jodie Lord, who has five chances in Saturday's heats.
