Trainer Bradley Van Deinsen heaped praise on fellow conditioners Kerry Lambos and Jason Magri after his greyhound Venom Cartel posted easily fastest time of Saturday's three heats of the Richmond Straight Track Championship.
Venom Cartel, a litter brother to champion sprinter Wow, led throughout to beat Zane Herrera in 17.59, with Casual Glance's kennelmate Olsen Street winning in 17.72 and Alan Proctor's track record holder Cool Chevy Magic clocking 17.92 in the other heat.
Van Deinsen, who has been a trainer for six years, said: "I received a lot of helpful advice from Jason Magri when I started out as a trainer.
"And my mate Kerry Lambos has given me wonderful assistance.
"Venom Cartel was bred by the late Ron Field, and when he realised he was not going to win his battle with cancer, he gave me the opportunity to buy one of the pups his bitch Miss All Class had whelped to Fernando Bale.
"I was lucky enough to buy Venom Cartel, and he is easily the best greyhound I have trained,
"Venom Cartel won at Wentworth Park in February and will be hard to beat in Saturday's Straight Track Championship final, especially if he draws the right hand side of the track.
"He made full use of box seven to win his heat so I'm hoping to get that draw or even better, box eight, in the final.''
Cherokee Outlaw was an impressive 30.02 winner at Wentworth Park on Saturday night but Brad Field, whose wife Charmaine trains the greyhound, rates the dog's younger half-brother Suaalii as superior.
Suaalii got within a length of giving the Fields, from the upper Hunter Valley, a winning double when he went down in a close finish to Flighty Fernando.
Suaalii had led to the home bend but tired in the straight when fourth to Special Blend at his Wentworth Park debut a week earlier and on Saturday made the early running again.
But just as he did at his first Wentworth Park appearance, Suaalii ran off the track on the first corner, giving Flighty Fernando a dream rails run to the lead.
While Suaalii faded sharply in the run home on November 20, the dog hung on tenaciously on Saturday.
"They are both smart dogs but Suaalii is definitely quicker and he is getting stronger,'' Brad Field said.
"Both were schooled and began their careers at Maitland, a one turn track, so they have not had a lot of experience around two turn courses like Wentworth Park.
"In the past couple of weeks I have been giving Cherokee Outlaw some trials at Wenty and while that helped him a lot tonight and we expect him to get even better.
"Suaalii has got wide at the first turn in each of his two Wentworth Park races so I'm keen to see how he goes when he draws an outside box at Wenty as that should suit him.''
It's not often a Wentworth Park meeting goes by without John and Minnie Finn training a winner and Saturday night was no exception with Minnie scoring with Flighty Fernando, who edged out Suaalii.
But Finn is not getting carried away with Flighty Fernando, even though Saturday's 30.14 win gave the 22 month old youngster his sixth success in 15 races.
"He will win his share of low grade races but I don't think he will go a lot further,'' a candid Finn said after Saturday's race.
"Flighty Fernando got a nice rails run at the first turn on Saturday which was fortunate because he did not begin well.
"He plays up badly in the boxes, and after I put him in on Saturday I could hear him screaming as the lure approached.
"His behaviour in the starting boxes is a drawback.''
