Andy Lord won the 2004 National Sprint Championship with In For Life and believes Screaming Jet, one of his two entries in this year's series, is capable of developing into Group one winner.
Screaming Jet has drawn box two in heat one, by far the strongest of the three heats, when the Championship gets under way at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Although Screaming Jet is opposed to Zipping Orlando (box one), Ibrox Wildfire (five) and Golden Easter Egg winner Simply Limelight (eight), Lord believes he can win.
"In For Life was a special dog and while Screaming Jet is not quite up to his class yet, he is heading in the right direction,'' Lord said.
Screaming Jet has posted eight wins and four seconds from 14 Wentworth Park outings and was runner-up in last week's Southern Stars at Goulburn behind crack Victorian speedster Big Daddy.
Lord said: "My other Championship nomination We Don't Share, who has box one in heat two, is not quite as good as Screaming Jet but is a very honest top grader and he will also be hard to beat on Saturday.
"I was impressed with the way he ran down a top notch bitch like Ibrox Wildfire at Wentworth Park last week and while he drew box eight in that race, We Don't Share will handle the rails draw on Saturday with no trouble at all.''
We Don't Share faces stiff opposition from front runners Modern Swinger (box two) and Wyndra All Class (seven) along with Zipping Novak, who has not raced at Wentworth Park since March but who has recorded a flying 29.47 at the track and has won two of his four races from box eight, his draw on Saturday.
Trainer John Finn's National Sprint Championship credentials extend even further back than those of Andy Lord, as Finn landed the 1991 grand final at Wentworth Park with Jessica Casey.
On Saturday Finn has Zipping Orlando (box one) up against Screaming Jet along with Zipping Remus in box four in heat three of the Championship.
Finn's wife Minnie said: "I took Zipping Orlando and Zipping Remus to Wenty on Tuesday night for their final trials before the Championship and they both flew.
"There was nothing between them and they are going to take some beating on Saturday night.''
Zipping Remus has drawn the weakest heat and is chasing his eighth Wentworth Park win in 10 visits to the Glebe circuit.
One Hot Bandit has the reputation of being better suited from a wide draw but Andy Lord believes the dog will "push through" from box two and win Saturday night's Fernando Mick At Stud Stakes, a 520m fourth grade.
"Although One Hot Bandit has won six of his nine races at Wentworth Park he is still learning,'' Lord said.
"When he won from box two at Wenty on July 22 he drove through as he was rounding the first bend and I expect him to do the same thing on Saturday night.''
Justin Thorpe, a plumber from Sutton, 8km from Canberra, did some plumbing jobs on Andy Lord's Gunning property four years ago and the trainer was so pleased with his work he presented him with a three months old puppy.
That puppy, which races as Sutton Sandy, scored her first Wentworth Park win for Thorpe on July 26 and the trainer believes she can complete the double at headquarters on Saturday night.
Sutton Sandy, who tips the scales 'whippet-like' at around 22kg, has box seven in the Ladbrokes Sports Bar Open Masters over 520m.
"I call Sutton Sandy my little pocket rocket and because she likes to use a bit of the track I reckon she is well drawn on Saturday night,'' Thorpe said.
"She needs to get right behind the lure in the early stages because when she does that she is always hard to run down.
"Sutton Sandy is only racing until she comes in season because I am very keen to breed from her as she is a daughter of Andy Lord's good bitch Bombshell Bandit.''
Seaton Key was desperately unlucky when fourth to Wyndra All Class in top grade at Wentworth Park on July 26 and only needs to begin cleanly to win Saturday's much easier fifth grade Ladbrokes Bet Ticker Stakes, 520m.
Trainer Justin King has a massive opinion of Seaton Key and although the dog has box four on Saturday he should get room to move as Whirlwind Ethics, in box five, is a wide runner.
