Ritza Debra will be set for the Group 1 Ladbrokes National Futurity - the race which eluded her famous half-sister Ritza Donna - following her third win in five Wentworth Park appearances last Friday afternoon.
Heats of the Futurity will be run at Wentworth Park on January 13 with the $100,000 to the winner final a week later.
Trainer Mark Gatt said: "She is a fast little bitch but is still learning how to race.
"When she ranged up alongside Minnie Finn's dog Poco Rico on the back straight on Friday Ritza Debra wasn't sure how to get around him.
"Ritza Debra is a daughter of Ritza Millie who could run like the wind but was a very erratic chaser, to put it bluntly, she was 'low'.
"Yet Ritza Debra is from her third litter and they have all been terrific chasers.
"That proves there are no rules when it comes to breeding.''
While Ritza Debra's older half-sister Ritza Donna was unplaced in the Futurity final, she did win the 2021 Group 1 Dapto Megastar in a race record time of 29.43, figures that remain unchallenged.
Ritza Donna earned nearly $243,000, not bad for the daughter of a notoriously bad chaser.
Palawa King won't be contesting next Saturday night's Group 3 720m Christmas Cheer at Wentworth Park despite his sensational win in the Group 1 Bold Trease over 715m at Sandown on December 2.
Trainer Jack Smith no doubt gladdened the hearts of trainers of rival stayers when he declared: "No, Palawa King won't be going over 700m plus for a little while.
"I'll have a think about where is heading next but it won't be in Saturday's Christmas Cheer.''
The Bold Trease was Palawa King's 22nd success and lifted his earnings to $657,000.
When Skedaddle Dozer notched his second win in 19 starts at Wentworth Park on Friday it gave Canberra trainer Alan Tutt his first city winner since Bide Your Time scored over 280m in August 2020.
Skedaddle Dozer's time was a pedestrian 30.80 but the win was a tough one as the dog was hampered going through the first bend and showed determination to be in second place leaving the back straight.
Tutt, 62, has been a trainer for 42 years but became besotted with the greyhound breed as a teenager.
"When I was about 13 I was living in Ainslie, a suburb of Canberra, and saw an old chap walking half a dozen greyhounds,'' Tutt said.
"I offered to give him a hand and exercise one or two for him on a regular basis and once that happened I had caught the greyhound bug.''
Skedaddle Dozer won a Battlers' event on Friday and Tutt commented: "These races don't seem as intense when you are walking to the starting boxes or after the finish.
"All the trainers seem more relaxed, I guess because everyone's dog is out of form so nobody has any great expectations.''
