It was a case of deja vu on the Central Coast on Tuesday night as ZIPPING Novak set the benchmark in the heats of the Beast Unleashed Gosford Gold Cup for the second straight year.
The Jason Magri-trained flyer clocked a superb 29.03 for the 515m journey to win his preliminary by a paddock - the time around a length quicker than the next fastest qualifier, Eyes To Eyes (29.10).
The son of Zulu Zeus now hoping to improve on his third placed-finish in the 2023 decider after drawing the all-important Box 1 for next Tuesday’s (January 2) $40,000-to-the-winner final.
One man hoping to upset the apple cart though is CHRIS O’Brien.
The Nowra local the only trainer with two greyhounds through to the first NSW Group race of the 2024 season after litter sisters Quantifiable and Mortified both advanced from their respective heats.
“Mortified looks like she might be getting back to near her best. She hadn’t been jumping that well and was a bit off after our trips to Melbourne so Gary Barnsley had a look at her and he found a little back issue we think we’ve sorted out now,” O’Brien said.
“I’m happy with Box 2 in the final as she wants to be inside, and a lot of the pace is out wide. She hasn’t won a Group race yet which is interesting considering she’s the fastest of the litter. Modern Swinger won the NSW Sprint which is a good race and Quantifiable won the Goulburn Cup so I’d like Mortified to get a big win.”
“And Quantifiable is just a good professional chaser. She jumps from just about anywhere and usually runs a good race so Box 6 shouldn’t be a problem for her next week.”
O’Brien singling out one of the youngsters in the field as the dog to watch in the Group 2 showcase.
“Nev Brown’s dog [Eyes To Eyes] is going pretty good and is the one to beat. ZIPPING Novak has the box and began like a bomb in the heats but nothing else really jumped and they left him alone, I’m not sure the final will be the same,” O’Brien added.
One runner sure to be on speed and making her presence felt early is My Hepburn.
The kennelmate of 2023 Thunderbolt winner Vamoose winning her heat in style for Susan Smith after bolting out of the boxes and running a massive PB of 29.22.
The daughter of My Sapphire continuing her good form of late, now placing in her last 11 starts for the kennel.
“She went great and we weren’t surprised because she likes Gosford and she’s getting stronger all the time,” Smith said.
“And her first section of 4.29 was just so quick. It might sound funny but the 515m makes a big difference compared to the 520m. She jumps near the front all the time but that last 10-20 metres is always a test for her, especially in top grade races.”
“This breed continues to deliver though and it all tracks back to Blue Thunda. She is the grandmother of My Hepburn and the mother of Vamoose and all the pups from this line have brilliant early speed. Putting Blue Thunda to Fernando Bale has also added real strength to the line as well.”
Smith adamant the final is ZIPPING Novak’s race to lose.
“Being realistic, ZIPPING Novak has it. The way he got away in the heats was brilliant and he went 29.0 something, how do you beat that? Our girl will give her all, but Box 8 will be tough. We’re just happy to be there and our handlers Jade [Murray] and Tahnee [Barnett-Murray] are doing a great job travelling our dogs around so we’ll see what happens.”
The remaining finalists include Maitland Cup winner Nangar Jim, the Peter Lagogiane-trained Rocket Riot and Good Odds Cobber for Frank Hurst.
The final of the Group 2 Beast Unleashed Gosford Gold Cup will be run on Tuesday, January 2. Last year's winner was Punter's Bandit for Andy Lord.
