One Hot Bandit Ready For Ninth Win At Headquarters
By Jeff Collerson
One Hot Bandit is one of Australia's most exciting middle-distance prospects but in the mean time he is perfectly situated to score his ninth Wentworth Park 520m win on Wednesday night.
The Andy Lord-trained dog is ideally positioned in box eight and because he appears to have lost a touch of his early speed, should relish having only five rivals in the Ladbrokes Sports Bar Open Stakes, a fourth and fifth-grade event.
One Hot Bandit has won each of his three races from box eight and rattled home when third to Mortified over 520m at Dapto on August 31 and as runner-up behind Palawa King over the same distance at Wentworth Park last Wednesday night.
One Hot Bandit
Trainer Greg Hore, who has four of the six runners in Wednesday night's sole 720m event, a fourth and fifth grade, leans slightly to Monster Mel as the pick of his quartet.
Hore's pair Cassie Cool, who has clocked 42.37 at Wentworth Park and won in 42.47 there last Wednesday, and Monster Mel, who has won in 42.29 and 42.41 at her past two Wenty long-distance assignments, are the stand-outs.
"Monster Mel is around a tenth of a second quicker but Cassie Cool is a bit stronger at the end of 720m,'' Hore said.
"Monster Mel is well drawn in box eight because she runs in the middle of the track and although Cassie Cool has box one I would prefer her drawn wide too.
"When she swings into the home straight in 720m races she gets right off the track.''
Ritza Natalie and Nacho Queen have won three and two Wentworth Park races respectively but Tail 'Em Up, a Wenty "maiden" could upset thEm in Wednesday night's Sponsor A Race @ Wenty fifth grade over 520m.
Ritza Natalie has box five while Nacho Queen is well positioned in seven but Tail 'Em Up is tipped to make full use of box one.
Trained by Peter Mantach, Tail 'Em Up made his Wentworth Park debut last Wednesday night when third, beaten just over four lengths, by Tarawi Indi in 30.06.
"He had box seven last week but is 100 percent better off in box one this Wednesday,'' Peter Mantach said.
"Last week he tried desperately to get to the rails and although he got there eventually by then the leader was off and gone.
"I expect Tail 'Em Up to be improved by last week's run because that 520m race was the longest he had ever contested.
"And his only look at Wentworth Park had been when he had a hand-slip as a puppy.''
Bolt Wave was a certainty beaten when second to the talented Irinka Daniel at his Wentworth Park debut last Wednesday night and should only need to begin cleanly from box five to take out this Wednesday's NSW GBOTA Welcome Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Last week Bolt Wave jumped smartly from box five but was badly checked twice between the starting point and the catching pen before running a mighty race to go down by less than two lengths.
His kennelmate Mario Wave led all the way at the same Wentworth Park meeting but trainer Vic Sultana said that Bolt Wave the quicker of the pair.
This Wednesday's race has plenty of depth, with Andy Lord's Black Misery in box one and Jack Smith's Armatree Storm in four, but on times Bolt Wave has superior Wentworth Park credentials.
