Big Frank Banner and Luai Banner Ready For Wenty

By Jeff Collerson
Barry Gibbons, who took three greyhounds to Wentworth Park on Saturday night and came home with three winners, has left no stone unturned in his bid to win with his unbeaten rookie performers Big Frank Banner and Luai Banner there on Wednesday night.

The Cranebrook trainer be represented by Big Frank Banner in Wednesday's opening race, a 520m fifth grade, before starting Luai Banner in race seven, an identical race.

Big Frank Banner, unbeaten in four provincial races, will exit box three while Luai Banner has drawn box one in his quest to notch his fourth victory in as many appearances.

Gibbons said: "Each of them has had plenty of experience in trials at Wentworth Park.

"I gave them both a slip from the water tower, then each had a post-to-post hand-slip, and after that I put them out of the 520m boxes.

"Big Frank Banner has heaps of early pace, he is a real get out and go dog although at this stage he is not terribly strong at the finish.

"But if he steps away cleanly I think he is capable of breaking 30sec for the 520m.

"Luai Banner can come from behind and win, he is a real race dog and has strength at the end of his races.''

Gibbons' pair have a big future as they were whelped as recently as November, 2021.

Big Frank Banner and Luai Banner are by Feral Franky and were produced by Gibbons' former classy race bitch Galaxy Banner, whose previous litter includes Venus Banner, one of the trainer's hat-trick of Wentworth Park winners last Saturday night, and Cleary Banner, a winner of a dozen races.

Luai Banner winning at Richmond in May


Mister Perfect, hailed as "the find of the year" before going amiss in December, 2022, makes his eagerly anticipated return in Wednesday night's Ladbrokes Blended Bets Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.

Mister Perfect, who has won four of his five starts, has box five and will face stern opposition from the Andy Lord-prepared duo Bandit Bullet, in box four, and Doonan, drawn in eight.

Trained by the in-form Michelle Sultana, Mister Perfect has not raced for nearly seven months but trialled impressively over 400m at Bulli on June 13.

In the stewards' summary of the meeting he was reported as "having jumped awkwardly and been slowly away" in his solo trial but still managed to stop the clock at a blistering 22.19sec.

Those figures are just .26sec outside the track record established by Pindari Express on February 2, 2019.

Mister Perfect in November 2022

Andy Lord looks primed for another successful Wednesday meeting with Carbon Coby, ideally drawn in box eight in a "quiet'' race six fifth grade, looming as the bet of the night.

Carbon Coby has won at three of his six Wentworth Park appearances despite his tendency to be a slow beginner.

When he clocked a smart 29.86 at his most recent Wentworth Park outing on June 14, Carbon Coby came from fifth at the half-way mark to hit the front on the home turn.

He then careered away to score by nearly seven lengths, running home in a powerful 11.77sec.

Carbon Coby's kennelmate Swift Kade has been unplaced in two Wentworth Park starts but gets his chance against moderate opposition in Wednesday's Ladbrokes Punter Assist Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.

Swift Kade was beaten eight lengths into sixth position at Wentworth Park last Saturday night but would have finished much closer had he not collided with a tiring rival leaving the back straight.

Box seven should suit Swift Kade as he is drawn well away from the extremely wide running Archer O'Brien, who will exit box one.

A respectable 24.45 post-to-post slip and a distant but luckless third in his race debut should have Tarawi Tiger ready to notch his first Wentworth Park win in Wednesday night's Ladbroke It! Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.

Tarawi Tiger went into his first race at Wentworth Park last Saturday night when six wins from 10 provincial starts and while he was never going to beat the fast 29.80 winner, Lidsdale Road, interference on the back straight cost the Alan Proctor-trained greyhound any chance he had of finishing second.

Tarawi Tiger was hampered when railing underneath the fading pacemaker That's Lil Harry at that point but hung on to snare the minor prizemoney.

Tarawi Tiger is looking for his first Wenty win


Best Bet Carbon Coby (race 6)
Best Value Tarawi Tiger (race 2)
Quaddie
Race 5 - 7, 4, 2
Race 6 - 8, 5
Race 7 - 1, 7
Race 8 - 5, 4, 8
$20 for 55.55%