Candy Carrera took out her third $5000 to the winner GRNSW Middle Distance Series when she led throughout over 630m at Nowra on Sunday, and now a campaign as a stayer beckons, beginning with heat two of Saturday night's 720m Wentworth Park Gold Cup.
Her all the way win in 36.22 compared well with the track record set by the JODIE Lord-trained El Rapido in June last year and after another crack at 520m at Wentworth Park Candy Carrera will tackle 720m at headquarters.
"She was beaten in two 720m races at Wentworth Park in October but she is a better greyhound now,'' trainer Peter Massa said.
"When she was racing last year she was inclined to pull up sore but there is no trace of that now so I think she has a better chance of getting 720m this preparation.
"Candy Carrera has won four races over 520m at Wentworth Park but her problem is that while she is a fast beginner, she lacks sufficient early pace to hold the lead in the run to the first corner.
"Before Sunday's Nowra win Candy Carrera had won a pair of GRNSW Middle Distance events at Dapto.
"What I liked about her Nowra win was that the catching pen is between 60m and 80m past the winning post, but when she got there on Sunday she was still in front.''
Opal Rocks is also poised to go over longer distances but that will have to wait until after the 520m Ladies Bracelet series which gets under way with heats at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Opal Rocks has box four in heat one and will have plenty of support after coming from fifth early and third on the back straight to win by six lengths at Wentworth Park last Saturday.
The JODIE Lord-trained greyhound not only covered the 520m in 29.63, figures bettered only by boom youngster Jungle Deuce's 29.40 performance, but she ran home in an electrifying 11.52.
Those figures were actually .02sec quicker than Jungle Deuce's finishing time.
Part-owner Toby Weekes said: "I bought Opal Rocks from Victoria's Mario Briganti with the idea of breeding from her, because she is from a great dam line.
"I don't want to over-race her and after the Bracelet I would like to see JODIE put her over a middle distance.
"Opal Rocks will have no trouble winning beyond 520m as she has already trialled near record time, in the low 34s, over 600m at Dapto.''
Former Wenty crowd favourite Pindari Express, prepared in Sydney's eastern suburbs by hobby trainer Tracey Scruse, retired exactly 12 months ago and is faring well at stud, siring 92 puppies from 12 litters.
Pindari Express was a lucky purchase for Scruse who conceded she could not have afforded to buy the regally bred half brother to 2016 Melbourne Cup winner Ando's Mac had it not been for the proposed Baird Government ban of greyhound racing.
Breeder Frank Anderson, who won with Ando's Mac's son Seymour Ando's at Wentworth Park on March 31, recalled: "When the ban was announced I was suddenly stuck with 11 new born puppies so had to sell them at reduced prices.
"Among the youngsters I had to part with was Pindari Express, which I sold for only $4000.''
Pindari Express won 18 of his 32 starts, winning the Cyril Rowe Bulli Gold Cup in 2019 and 2020 and setting new track records at Maitland and Bulli.
A proud Scruse said: "Well bred bitches Zippy Ethics and Fiery Crash have whelped nine and eight pups respectively to Pindari Express while he has been mated with Fay's Magic, the dam of Northern Rivers champion All Hands Off, and to the Braddon family's Hope's A Chance, a litter sister to their 2016 Maitland Cup winner Marbo's Magic.''
