Zipping Kansas went within .06sec of Space Star's eight-year-old track record when he won over 618m at Richmond on February 4 and will be hot favourite when he steps out over 720m for the first time at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
While Zipping Kansas has not been tried beyond 618m trainer Jason Magri is confident the dog will have no trouble coping with the additional 102m at Wentworth Park.
"I will be amazed if he doesn't see it out strongly, I think he will run 720m for sure,'' Magri said.
"A bonus on Saturday night is that Zipping Kansas has drawn box eight in the Ladbrokes Same Race Multi Stakes because I really like him drawn on the extreme outside.''
Cawbourne Helm handled box eight perfectly in her all the way win in a nippy 30.09 over 520m at Wentworth Park last Saturday but trainer Ben Talbot is pleased to see her drawn in box one in this week's Friday Night Racing Stakes.
Cawbourne Helm won a fifth grade last week and is in the same grade again, with Talbot saying: "There is a lot of early speed in this Saturday's race and from box eight she might have had a tough job getting to the front.
"She has won three of her four races from box one so while she obviously needs to get away cleanly, I think the inside draw is ideal in this type of race.''
Talbot, a retired truck driver, has been training greyhounds full-time for the past two years and has 25 in work, including over a dozen for Cawbourne Helm's owner, successful Sydney breeder Stuart Dickinson.
Veteran trainer Bob Littlefield is confident his Wentworth Park rookie King Kuru will make the pace in Saturday night's Ladbroke It! Stakes, a 520m fifth grade, but concedes the dog could struggle in the run home.
"King Kuru has not seen Wentworth Park but is very quick and I expect him to be in front when they go around the first turn,'' Littlefield said.
"He won his first start over 350m at Grafton on Boxing Day in a heat of the Butch Monkley Memorial but pulled up with a crook shoulder after finishing sixth in the final a week later.
"I gave him a month off and he has come back better than ever, winning in smart times over 307m at Bathurst, 440m at Goulburn and then over 450m at Bathurst last Monday.
"His immediate goal is the Temora Cup series, which gets under way on Sunday week, and Saturday's race will be a good conditioning run for that 457m event.
"But as King Kuru has not been tried beyond 450m I'm uncertain how well he will get to the line.''
With King Kuru likely to be the early leader, Saturday's race could be run to suit noted strong finisher Wicked Spartan, who has box two.
Wicked Spartan has finished fast in being placed in four of his eight Wentworth Park 520m outings and is well positioned near the rails, especially with King Karu, in box three, expected to clear the field in the early stages.
Opal Model, who raced in the centre of the track in her all-the-way box five win in 30.17 at Wentworth Park last Saturday, looks perfectly placed in box eight in Saturday's Where Else But Wenty Stakes, a 520m fourth and fifth grade.
Opal Model meets slightly stronger opposition but favourite Ties That Bind, who has box four, will need to begin quickly if she is to head off noted front runner Crocodile Vella (box three) in the run to the first bend.
Exciting newcomer Doonan, who led throughout from box five to win his NSW GBOTA Welcome Maiden heat in a brilliant 29.85 on February 9, has box eight in Saturday's final.
The JODIE Lord-trained dog was an all the way winner again, this time in a fifth grade at Wentworth Park on Wednesday night, when he exited box three and stopped the clock at a slick 29.88.
Doonan should have no trouble handling box eight, particularly as Simply Limelight, who was runner-up to Lord's greyhound in their heat, has box seven.
Simply Limelight had box two in his heat and was so close to the inside fence at the first turn that he hit the running rail.
