Winlock On Top set the time standard while Goulburn based Michael Hardman held bragging rights for trainers with a winning double at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
The JODIE Lord-trained Winlock On Top, who is raced by the Melbourne syndicate which had Awesome Catch in Friday night's TAB Million Dollar Chase final, continued his consistent form with an all-the-way win in the $6000 to the winner Free-For-All.
Winlock On Top went into the race with a personal best time of 29.81 from 11 Wentworth Park appearances but on Saturday trimmed those figures to 29.79 on a surface which was not considered fast.
Hardman, who was represented by Nangar Kash in Friday's Masters Meteor final, won the opening event on Saturday with Zulu Warlord, who led throughout in 29.92, breaking 30sec for the first time in six Wentworth Park outings.
The Goulburn trainer made it two for the night when new acquisition Polarising led all the way in a tidy 30.07.
"Zulu Warlord is a fast dog and while the track would suit him I was never tempted to start him in Tuesday's Goulburn Cup heats,'' Hardman said.
"I don't want him tackling all-comers at this stage and am happy taking him through his grades at Wenty.
"Zulu Warlord has always had blistering early speed but he got to the line more strongly tonight than ever before.
"My other winner Polarising is raced by Queenslander Wade Liddell, who owns Nangar Kash.
"Recently Wade asked me to find him another dog and I bought Polarising from breeder Tyrone Whittington, who had given the dog seven starts in Victoria for a win and six placings.
"Polarising had only had a post-to-post slip when he made his debut at Wentworth Park for us on September 26, finishing third, and gave me the impression he was the type of dog who needed a few runs on a track before producing his best form.
"So after that third placing I gave him another three trials at WP before tonight and Polarising showed the benefit of that experience.''
Showtime Jack, who races with a blinker over one eye, overcame a bad check going through the catching pen to notch his third Wentworth Park win for trainer Jack Tatian.
"I was worried when he got that bad bump but he kept chasing keenly and finished determinedly, so I reckon the blinker has done wonders with this dog,'' Tatian said.
"It is ensuring he does not race erratically.''
Rose Of Lachlan, until recently trained by the late Troy Donaldson, won first-up at Wentworth Park for owner Troy McDonald in 30.32.
"She had never seen Wenty before Saturday night but Rose Of Lachlan can really ping out of the starting boxes and I was confident that if she led, and nothing took her on for the lead before she reached the home turn, she would win,'' McDonald, who is now training the bitch, said later.
Minor Miss showed the benefit of frequent racing at Wentworth Park when she came from a distant second on the back straight to run down Simply Patches in 30.30.
Minor Miss has now had 13 races at Wentworth Park for two wins and eight placings and is proving a wonderful money-spinner for trainer Justin King.
"She is no world beater but is a good beginner who does her best and loves Wentworth Park, so while she doesn't run sizzling times Minor Miss should pick up another couple of low grade races on this track,'' King said.
Enjoy Yourself, who stumbled at the start and almost fell at his only previous Wentworth Park start, got away cleanly from box one and led throughout on Saturday, recording a slick 30.03sec for the 520m.
"I was relieved when he got away cleanly because he had not only stumbled on October 10, but he did something similar as he jumped when I gave Enjoy Yourself a box-to-box trial at Wenty,'' trainer Peter Mattress said.
