Trainer Jeff Britton concedes Mepunga Ruby has been slightly disappointing in her past two long distance races but believes returning to Wentworth Park on Saturday night can bring her back into the winner's circle.
Although trained in Victoria, Mepunga Ruby has won three of her five Wentworth Park 720m encounters and Britton is pleased to see her in box three in Saturday's Ladbrokes Christmas Cheer Invitation over that trip.
"She blows her head off at Sandown but is a different greyhound at The Meadows, she has no problem there, and she also loves coming to Sydney to race at Wentworth Park.
"Mepunga Ruby won over 680m at Geelong at her most recent start on December 2 and although she is getting on in years she is still going well.
"She has a good draw on Saturday and I'm hoping she can beat French Vanilla, who has box one, for the early lead, and then get a break on her rivals.''
No greyhound in Saturday night's $25,000 to the winner event has equalled Mepunga Ruby's best Wentworth Park 720m figures of 41.64, although the in-form Cawbourne Magic comes close with a 41.67 effort from box one on November 5.
"I'm not too worried about Cawbourne Magic having box eight on Saturday,'' trainer Jodie Lord said.
"He won the Newcastle Cup last week from box six and although he was inclined to crash towards the rails early in his career, he has now learned to handle outside boxes much better.
"Cawbourne Magic held a straight line in the Newcastle Cup at The Gardens and I expect him to do the same on Saturday.''
The Christmas Cheer looms as a thriller with Stagger Out Lee, who has beaten Mepunga Ruby at Sandown and who flashed home when second in Cawbourne Magic's 715m Newcastle Cup, superbly drawn in box two.
Jodie Lord, who has the 2022 Wentworth Park Trainers' Premiership sewn up, could end the year on a big note as she believes Good Odds Emma (box one) and Coast Model (box seven) could battle out Saturday night's $25,000 to the winner Ladbrokes Christmas Gift final.
"I thought their runs when they were placed in their heats last Saturday were terrific,'' Lord said.
Lagoon Gunn's 29.83 was fastest qualifying time for Saturday night's Ladbrokes Christmas Maiden Chase but the box draw and sectional figures favour Zipping Mahalia in the final.
Zipping Mahalia, trained by Michael Hardman, led throughout to win her heat from box eight in 29.91, but her first and second "splits" were quicker than any of her seven rivals on Saturday and fastest heat winner Lagoon Gunn has gone from box one to box six.
Zipping Mahalia's trainer Michael Hardman said: "I really don't know how she will handle box one because before her heat win on December 7 she had not been out of the 520m boxes at Wenty.
"All she had leading up to the heats was a post-to-post hand-slip at Wentworth Park, a couple of slips there from the catching pen, and a box-to-box hit-out at Dapto.
"But I will say this, every run I have given her has been an improvement on her previous effort so she has a future.''
Vamoose's 15.86 was fastest of the four Ladbrokes Christmas Dash heats but the only dog in Saturday night's 280m final to get under 5.20 for the first section was Bindi.
The Charlie Gatt-trained dog "flew'' to that mark in 5.17 before stopping the clock at 16.06.
Early speed wins finals, especially short course affairs, but Bindi has drawn horribly in box four, outside wide runners Wishing in box one and Speedy Ms. Minx in four.
"Bindi will need to come out running,'' trainer Gatt said.
Quickest qualifier Vamoose, also a wide runner, could "get the fly'' in the rush to the first corner from his middle box five trap.
