Vamoose has a reputation of being an outside draw specialist but co-trainer John Miles says he and his co-training partner Sue Smith are happy having him in box one in Friday night's group 2 East Maitland Bowling Club Cup.
Vamoose goes into the $40,000 to the winner final as fastest qualifier after being the sole heat winner to get under the 25sec mark, posting 24.96 in his neck win over Queensland visitor Coonamble Kid.
Although Vamoose has won a remarkable 11 of 16 starts from boxes six, seven and eight, his box one strike rate of three wins from eight appearances is not too shabby.
"In his heat Vamoose also clocked the fastest splits so he is in with a great chance from box one,'' Miles said.
"Although Maitland is very close to our kennels at Branxton, Sue and I have not raced there very much.
"That's only because we breed our own dogs and most of our greyhounds tend to be better suited on circle tracks like The Gardens and Gosford.
Although Vamoose has won over 520m at Wentworth Park, recording a nippy 30.03, he has been mostly restricted to racing over 450m or less.
Vamoose is a son of Miles' former sensational short course bitch Blue Thunda, who won 18 of 23 races.
Miles and Smith also have a high opinion of a young member of their eight dog team, Johnny Red.
Johnny Red has won eight of 17 races and while he has not been tested beyond 401m, Miles believes he will develop into a 520m greyhound.
Miles has enjoyed a distinguished career in greyhound racing spanning more than five decades.
The retired plumber's favourite race was the Tweed Heads Galaxy, which was held over 420m at Border Park but has not been staged since 2013.
When he won the 2012 Galaxy final with Chasing Glory, Miles declared that the highlight of his career, mainly because that dog's dam Tommie's Placard had been runner-up to Tasmanian star Lilli Pilli Power in 2005.
Chasing Glory almost landed a second Galaxy when he chased home Pierino in the 2013 final, on a day when another pair of Miles' greyhounds, All Tommie and Chasing De Cash, won each of the consolation finals.
John Miles began his career as the 15-year-old "strapper" for central coast trainer Fred Carey and soon turned to training, winning a dozen races with Tiny Modesty who became the dam of his first city winner Modest King, successful at Harold and Wentworth Parks in 1980.
Toughest rival for Vamoose looms as the ideally drawn Coonamble Kid, who chased the fastest qualifier home in his heat.
Coonamble Kid, who has won five of 11 starts from box eight, will wear the pink rug in Friday night's final.
The dog is a litter brother to Go Bears, who was third to Victa Damian in the group 1 Ladbrokes National Derby at Wentworth Park in January and who notched his third Wentworth Park win in the Ladbrokes Road To The Egg final on March 4.
Coonamble Kid's trainer Chris Brydon said: "I bought him as a puppy from his breeder Alex Verhagen.
"A year ago I moved from the Hunter Valley to Churchable in Queensland after finding 16ha ideally suited to breeding, rearing and training greyhounds.
"The Maitland Cup field is very evenly matched, there is only about two tenths of a second covering the eight finalists, so I'm rapt to see Coonamble Kid in box eight.''
