Jackpot Josie sprang the surprise of the year when she toppled the mighty Flying Ricciardo in last week's Richmond Gold Muzzle Auction heat but her trainer George Borg doubts she can pull off another upset in Friday's 400m final.
Jackpot Josie, an $8 chance, defeated the $1.12 hotpot Flying Ricciardo in the opening Gold Muzzle heat but Borg believes the box draw in the final gives his bitch little chance.
"She will make the race for Flying Ricciardo because Jackpot Josie has drawn seven and he has box eight,'' Borg said.
"Jackpot Josie will carve across to the rails as soon as the lids go up so even if Flying Ricciardo happens to dwell at the start, she is going to present him with a perfect run.
"Make no mistake, Jackpot Josie is a very good greyhound but she needed to draw outside Flying Ricciardo to have any real hope of beating him.
"When she won her heat Jackpot Josie was having her first start since tearing the ligaments in a toe five weeks earlier.
"It was a great effort to win because she had no work leading up to last Friday's race.
"Because of the toe problem I could not even let her go into her yard for three weeks so all she had prior to last week were two hand-slips.
"Earlier in her career Jackpot Josie broke a metacarpal bone and that was on the same leg as the toe injury occurred.
"But she is learning all the time and if she holds together she has a bright future.
"My father bought Jackpot Josie at the Richmond Gold Muzzle puppy auction for my eight sisters, who have never wanted to have anything to do with greyhounds.
"It's marvellous what winning a couple of races can do because now the girls are badgering me all the time and even instructing me how to train her!''
Eight months ago Music Event was being beaten in 307m maiden races at Bathurst but on Friday night the NSW-owned sprinter will be among the favourites when he exits box one in heat eight of Sandown's Melbourne Cup.
Music Event was trained by part-owner StevenJones when he bungled the start before finishing second and fifth in those 307m maidens in March and was quickly transferred to Mick Carter, who trains out of Kialla, in Victoria's Goulburn Valley, near Shepparton.
Under Carter's care Music Event's form has been a revelation, with the dog notching 11 wins and four placings from 17 starts including sizzling Sandown 515m wins at his past two outings.
He had box one when he defeated the mighty Catch The Thief in 29.39 at Sandown on October 29 before clocking a best of the night 29.32 winning there from box three on November 8.
Part-owner Josh Jones said: "Music Event has always shown exceptional ability.
"We thought he was a good thing in those two Bathurst 307m races but he blew the start both times.
"The inside alley on Friday is perfect because when he had that draw before beating Catch The Thief, Music Event showed explosive speed from the boxes.
"Fingers crossed he can do that again on Friday and win his way through to Friday week's Cup final.
"After the Cup series we will be looking at Wentworth Park races like the National Derby and Golden Easter Egg, because Music Event is still a youngster, he turned two just a few days ago.'''
