Simply Limelight pulled up in great shape after his luckless third to the great She's A Pearl at Wentworth Park on Saturday night and is ready for Thursday night's duel with Queensland superstar Jay Is Jay at Albion Park.
Jay Is Jay, the Albion Park 520m record holder, has won his past three starts over that course, the distance of tonight's State Of Origin $50,000 to the winner match race.
Those three wins have been in slick times of 29.64, 29.73 and 29.80 and while the Selena Zammit-trained dog's record stands at 29.35 Simply Limelight's sole Albion Park win was in 30.02.
But while Simply Limelight will relish the match race conditions trainer Peter Rodgers said: "I'm not sure he can beat Jay Is Jay but it should be a terrific race.
"Runner-up in the match race gets $10,000 so matter what happens this is a great lead into the Brisbane Cup for Simply Limelight.
"I was happy with his run at Wentworth Park last Saturday night and while people say he would have got closer to She's A Pearl at the finish had he railed underneath Father Rick on the back straight instead of trying to go around him, I'm not complaining.
"Simply Limelight got the sweetest run any dog could receive on his way to winning this year's Golden Easter Egg, the field just opened up for him that night.
"She's A Pearl is an out-and-out champion, so I'm content to think that Simply Limelight was able to finish ahead of her a couple of starts back.''
The short-course flying machine now heads to Grafton for Sunday's semi-finals of the Thunderbolt and goes into the race after having a valuable trial on the track.
Speeding FINE trialled over 350m before the first race at Grafton last Sunday clocking 20.07 and trainer Hank Vanderburg said: "Because he had raced at Richmond 48 hours earlier the close back-up was not ideal but I don't believe in sending a dog into an important race without having seen the track.
"Because Speeding FINE has such a wonderful nature I was confident backing up so soon after his heat win at Richmond wouldn't worry him.
"I bred Speeding FINE and broke him in but when Stephen Wylde, a long-time client of mine, asked me if he was on the market I told him everything's for sale.
"So he bought him and let me continue on as his trainer.
"I have not had a dog with a more easygoing nature, after I kennel him I can go back 10 minutes later and he is asleep with his legs up in the air.''
Speeding FINE is among the most consistently brilliant beginners in NSW and should improve sharply on his moderate Grafton trial time when he steps out in Sunday's Thunderbolt semis.
