Hot Heats Set The Stage For A Thrilling Paws Final
By Jeff Collerson
With four of the six heat winners reeling off scorching 520m times ranging from 29.51 to 29.57 and the others clocking 29.63 and 29.69, Saturday night's $75,000 to the winner final of the Group 1 Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder is among the most open on record.
Victorian visitors Dutch Riot and Idolize clocked the fastest heat times at Wentworth Park last Saturday night with 29.51 (Dutch Riot) and 29.52 (Idolize) performances, while Andy Lord's Nangar Larry stopped the clock at 29.53 and Comet A Cost, having only his second start since dropping a hind leg muscle nearly seven months ago, recording 29.57.
Comet A Cost's win completed a fantastic 24 hours for trainer Jason Magri, who on Friday night qualified for Saturday's other Group One finals, the Ladbrokes National Derby and National Futurity, with Blue Falcon and Zipping Teresa.
Less than an hour before Comet A Cost's win the Magri-trained Zipping Novak, resuming after a spider bite put him out of the group two Beast Unleashed Gosford Cup final, had led throughout to win his Thunder heat in 29.63.
The slowest Thunder heat winner was dashing front-runner My Hepburn, who led throughout in 29.69 but offset those figures with flying early splits of 5.35, 13.63 and 17.72.
While the Paws Of Thunder heat winners' overall times suggest a wide-open final, a succession of sizzling sectional figures make the race even more intriguing.
Idolize, who had trialled recently at Wentworth Park in record figures of 5.18, 13.50 and 17.70, clocked dazzling splits of 5.29, 13.63 and 17.69.
But there wasn't a more impressive winner than the Colin Bermingham-trained Dutch Riot, who began moderately from box five but drove between a wall of rivals to lead with a lap to go in 5.43, 13.75 and 17.79.
Dutch Riot's run home time of 11.70 was narrowly eclipsed by Nangar Larry's 11.68, a remarkable turnaround for a dog once considered suspect at the end of 520m.
The hard luck story of the heats came from connections of Go Bears, who clocked 29.58 while chasing home Idolize, beaten three-quarters of a length in 29.52.
Go Bears appeared to bungle the start before coming from a distant second on the back straight, but trainer Jay Opetaia explained later: "He hit his head on the starting box as it lifted, that's why he seemed to miss the kick.''
In Saturday's top grade 720m event, the Prelude to next week's group two Summer Distance Plate, the consistent Zoha Bale completed a red letter night for Victorian-trained greyhounds by running down Minnie Finn's Zipping Orlando to win by two lengths in a personal best 41.89.
It was Zoha Bale's 24th win at start number 60 but Zipping Orlando, who set up a big early lead, could be a sharp improver next Saturday while Queensland trainer Tony Zammit considered his bitch Valpolicella, the favourite who was minor placegetter, desperately unlucky.
Zipping Orlando was having his first long distance test since June while Valpolicella, who went down on her nose at the start, came from seventh at the catching pen to wind up just over four lengths from the winner.
Trainer Tony Zammit said: "I certainly wasn't disappointed with Valpolicella's run because when the lids lifted the greyhound in box one shifted out and checked my bitch, who had drawn two, and that put her back to the tail of the field.''
