Slick Rambo's sizzling win over 525m at Wagga last Friday has prompted owner-trainer Steve Kemp to set the dog for the Group 3 Ladbrokes Temora Cup.
At Wagga Kemp's 23 months old youngster took the lead at the first turn and raced away to win easily in 30.16, which compares well with the track record held by Jason Thompson's Victorian star Deliver, who clocked 29.71 in September, 2019.
Kemp, a Wagga local, said: "Slick Rambo will be back in at Wagga on Friday and then I'll head to Temora with him.
"He has won there and has clocked 26.26 for the 457m Cup distance so deserves a chance, although I'm not confident he will be up to the class of greyhounds which will be in this race.
"Slick Rambo always showed talent but it has taken him a while to put it all together.
"I was encouraged by last Friday's win because he was having only his third 500m run.
"Slick Rambo had won in 30.77 four days earlier and while I was expecting him to improve and get down to around 30.40 I was blown away when he went so fast on Friday.''
Kemp, who owns a plastering business, took up training as a hobby in 2014, with his wife's grandfather being renowned Wagga trainer and breeder Michael Finn, who raced the champion Tiggerlong Tonk, a winner of 42 races and over $766,000.
Heats of the Temora Cup will be held on March 3 with the $40,000 to the winner final a week later.
Previous winners have included crack sprinters Dennis Barnes' Nangar Diva in 2020, Andy and Jodie Lord's Mr Ticket a year later, and the Lords' champion She's A Pearl, who took out both the 2022 and 2023 finals.
She's A Pearl's 25.38 winning time last year established a new and current track record.
Leading Victorian trainer Anthony Azzopardi has provided the runners-up in the past two Temora Cups and he is pulling out all stops to make it "third time lucky" in 2024.
Azzopardi's greyhound Subtle Art chased home She's A Pearl in the 2022 final while his dog Salad Dodger defeated She's A Pearl in one of last year's heats, but was forced to play second fiddle to Andy Lord's champion in the final.
"TATTOOED has won over 515m at Sandown on the past two Thursday nights, winning in 29.50 and 29.56, but I think Temora will suit him down to the ground.
"That's because TATTOOED goes so well on the similarly shaped Bendigo track where he has won over 425m in fast times likes 23.55 and 23.59.
"And I've got Head The Charge back after a lengthy spell, with his 11 wins from 25 starts including a near record 23.44 Bendigo 435m performance.''
