Good Odds Cash seems certain to be an odds-on favourite in Saturday night's The Brother Fox at Dubbo but Fantastic Raven's trainer Jason MACKAY gives his greyhound a strong chance of upsetting the hotpot.
Good Odds Cash led throughout to win her heat of the $50,000 to the winner series last Saturday in 29.31, which compares well with Jungle Deuce's track record for the 516m of 28.93.
Fantastic Raven led all the way from box one to record 29.44 in her heat with Billy Creek flashing home to qualify in 29.55 while MACKAY's Zipping Maserati overcame trouble at the first turn and stormed home from fourth on the back straight for a 29.73 heat win.
"Good Odds Cash is fastest qualifier and has a good draw in box two so she obviously is the one to beat,'' Jason MACKAY said.
"But as strange as it may sound, I'm rapt seeing Fantastic Raven in box five in the final.
"I wanted her to draw in the middle because she uses a little bit of the track and because she is usually such a good beginner I think she is extremely well suited there.
"Have a look at Fantastic Raven's record from box five, she has had it eight times for five wins and three placings so she is my better prospect considering Zipping Maserati has drawn awkwardly in box six.
"He was slowest heat winner but his run was super because he got cleaned up a couple of times early and kept charging home.
"But realistically Zipping Maserati is going to need luck from where he has drawn.''
Fantastic Raven's first split of 4.37 was .01sec quicker than Good Odds Cash's initial section but Frank Hurst's star recorded a middle split of 14.97, fastest of the four heats.
Fantastic Raven's second section was 15.01 so MACKAY's greyhound is going to have to be the pacemaker if she is to hold out Good Odds Cash, a noted strong finisher who can perform at "both ends" of her races.
Not surprisingly Robert Hancock, who trained the first winner on the "new" Richmond track on Friday, and Rodney O'Brien, whose dog held the 520m "record" when racing concluded, have given the re-built Londonderry circuit an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Hancock's previously unraced dog Stylish Shamrock won the opening event on Friday, a 401m maiden, while O'Brien's He's Grand clocked 29.76 in a fifth grade 520m event and was the quicker of the two winners over that trip.
Hancock said: "The lighting is absolutely brilliant and even when you are up in the grandstand it is so vivid, so easy to pick out the dogs.
"And the track surface was fine, it actually seemed to get better as the night progressed.''
He's Grand, who was bred by O'Brien from his gallant race bitch She's Grand, will race at Gosford tomorrow (Tuesday) night as a lead-up to tackling heats of the Gosford Goldmine on May 24.
"The Richmond track seems to be great, it held up particularly well after there was rain and the races seemed cleanly run,'' O'Brien said.
"He's Grand is from She's Grand's litter to Fernando Bale and her pups are all going well.''
He's Grand's siblings include Agland Luai, who won at three from his first four Wentworth Park appearances, and Count Dingley, who has won three from races in Tasmania.
She's Grand's success as a brood bitch would seem to dispel the theory that bitches must be sparingly raced if they are to succeed in the breeding barn.
She's Grand contested 146 races for 29 wins, 29 seconds and 17 thirds.
