Crack Victorian trainer David Geall, who won the 2018 Golden Easter Egg with Up Hill Jill, launched his GRNSW Southern Stars campaign with a bang when Fire Hose won brilliantly at Goulburn on Friday.
Fire Hose, took his record to 14 wins and 12 placings from 36 starts with his all-the-way win in 24.85 over the 440m Cup course.
Heats of the Southern Stars, won last year by Aston Barak, will be held at Goulburn and Temora on July 18 and at Wagga three days later before the $50,000 to the winner final at Goulburn on July 28.
Geall is unperturbed by the 17 hours round trip from Victoria to Goulburn as he took out the 2019 Goulburn Cup with Emerald Rainbow.
"Emerald Rainbow, a litter brother to my top notcher My Redeemer, beat Good Odds Harada in the Goulburn Cup after that dog had won the Million Dollar Chase,'' Geall said.
"I also won a 350m Goulburn Fireball with a dog called Untold Soldier so I've had a bit of luck there.
"Fire Hose is an ideal dog for this race because he is a reliable beginner who is nearly always running first, second or third at the first turn.
"Fire Hose's kennelmate General Winston made the pace but was run down by Quantifiable over 350m at Goulburn on Friday and that's the way he races, he is fast early but not too strong.''
Quantifiable, who scored his 11th win in 22 appearances on Friday, will also tackle the 440m Southern Stars series along with her litter brother Modern Swinger, who toppled the great She's A Pearl at Dapto on June 29.
Their trainer Chris O'Brien said: "I trialled Modern Swinger over 440m at Goulburn last week and he clocked 24.92.
"I was happy with that run because he had not been there previously and as a lot of newcomers to Goulburn do, he 'lost' the middle section.''
Modern Swinger and Quantifiable's sister and kennelmate Mortified, who has not raced since April, is back in work but won't be ready for the Southern Stars.
"I gave her a slip up the straight on Saturday and she is on the way back,'' O'Brien said.
"At this stage her mission is the group 1 Dapto Megastar.''
The dog they all have to beat in the Goulburn Southern Stars is Len Me Dad, who returned to the track with a smart 19.19 win over 350m there on Friday.
Trainer Ruth Matic said: "When Le Me Dad finished third to Simply Limelight and She's A Pearl at WP on May 27 he broke a dewclaw and we had to have it removed.
"Len Me Dad won't race again before the Southern Stars Goulburn heats, my daughter Danielle and I will just build him up for the 440m trip.
"We considered putting him in the Southern Stars heats first-up but when dogs haven't raced for a while they can do things wrong, they can get a bit too excited, so we thought it best to give him one race before the series begins.''
