THE stage is set for an epic Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder next Saturday night with fastest qualifier French Martini drawing box one and champion bitch She's A Pearl getting box eight in the $75,000 to the winner Group 1 final at Wentworth Park.
But the draw for the final favours Embrace, who led throughout to win her heat from box three but drew seven in the final.
After the heat, trainer Craig Chappelow said: "Embrace stepped to the right when the boxes opened tonight so I want to see her drawn wide in the final.''
Embrace's win came after she had failed in several attempts at major races at Queensland's Albion Park and Ipswich tracks and at Melbourne's Sandown.
"She had half a dozen starts interstate without filling a placing,'' trainer Craig Chappelow said.
"But she wasn't herself, in Brisbane she didn't even want to get out of her kennel and that's not like her.
"When we got to Wentworth Park tonight Embrace seemed so happy, she was wagging her tail when I got her out of the car and was keen to go.
"It seems we had better stay here from now on.''
Trainer Peter Lagogiane was naturally delighted to see French Martini draw the rails, although he has unhappy memories of his bitch's last race from box one, at The Meadows in November.
French Martini sets the time standard of 29.45 in her heat
"She drew box one in the Topgun but tried to anticipate the jump, hit and cut her head on the boxes, and missed the start,'' Lagogiane recalled.
She's A Pearl had to ward off a determined early challenge from Coco Model to win her Paws Of Thunder heat and is undefeated in five races from box eight - her draw in the final.
She's A Pearl's kennelmate Cawbourne Magic continued his winning streak by posting fastest time in Saturday night's Summer Distance Plate heats, covering the 720m in 42.06 after running down First Picked by a half length.
Each has drawn perfectly in next Saturday's Plate final, with Ritza Piper in box one and Cawbourne Magic, who has won six of eight outings wearing the pink rug, to exit box eight again.
