The late John Finn trained the 1991 National Sprint Championship winner Jessica Casey and on Saturday night his widow Minnie Finn will seek to emulate his achievement when she brings five of the 15 NSW entries to Wentworth Park in a bid to take out the 2024 title.
In heat one of the NSW Sprint Finn has Both Bowers Ace in box two and Poco Rico in six while Might Have Been (box one), Great Flash (box four) and her group one winner Gets Late Early (box five) will do battle in heat two.
Both Bowers Ace, Poco Rico, Might Have Been and Gets Late Early, who turned two in February but have already won 55 races, are descendants of Chica Destacada, who won the 2014 National Sprint Championship at Perth's Cannington circuit.
Chica Destacada, who was trained in Sydney by Doreen Drynan, is the grandmother of Finn's National Sprint quartet, who are by Flying Ricciardo from Poco Dorado, a champion stayer prepared by John and Minnie Finn.
Both Bowers Ace and Might Have Been could be Minnie Finn's best prospects on Saturday night.
Both Bowers Ace was chasing his third successive Wentworth Park win when he finished fifth, from box five, to Gets Late Early last Saturday night, but has drawn better this week.
"I thought Both Bowers Ace's run last week was terrific, he had no luck at all,'' Minnie Finn said.
Might Have Been has not won from box one and Finn conceded: "He does go better from a wide draw because he doesn't like dogs crowding him from the outside.
"But he is going great, although so too is Gets Late Early.
"She broke 22sec in a 388m trial at Gosford before she won there in 22.47 and then she came out and won at Wentworth Park last Saturday.
"But Gets Late Early had box eight last week and she loves the extreme outside alley.''
Might Have Been with Minnie Finn
Glaski Poke will be on trial for a start in the National Distance Championship when she tackles Saturday night's Ladbrokes Sports Bar Stakes, a 720M fourth and fifth grade.
Glaski Poke, runner-up in the Newcastle Cup, has clocked 42.08 over the Wentworth Park 720m trip but has not had a long-distance start since April, although she finished fast to win over 520m at Wentworth Park on June 28 in a handy 30.07.
"I just haven't been able to find long-distance races for her but have been gradually building her up to having another crack at 720m,'' trainer John Woods said.
"How she goes on Saturday night will determine whether we have a throw at the stumps and put her in the NSW National Distance Championship at Wentworth Park on August 8.''
Rebel Ethics has clocked 29.64 at Wentworth Park but his come-from-behind performance to beat Million Dollar Chase runner-up Cumbria Kid in 29.87 last Saturday was equally meritorious.
Trainer Jake White said: "He had box six last week but is better placed in box three on Saturday, the closer to the rails he is the better he likes it.
"Rebel Ethics' win last week was terrific because I thought he was in a bit of trouble on the back straight and was just hoping he could run a place.
"For him to finish so strongly and win was terrific.
"Rebel Ethics relishes these Masters races because in graded events he tended to get too far back, but racing against dogs his own age he is able to get closer to the early lead.''
Saturday night's best value bet should be Zipping Duvall, who is trained by Minnie Finn's daghter-in-law Courtney Barnes.
Zipping Duvall will exit box one for the first time in the Ladbrokes Blackbook Final after scoring a narrow heat win from box five in a moderate 30.29.
But Zipping Duvall can be expected to improve sharply on his heat time as he boasts personal best Wentworth Park figures of 29.60 and clocked 29.87 when he won from box two there on July 4.
Fastest heat winner Chuck Keeping, who recorded 29.64 to qualify for Saturday's race, has gone from box two to an awkward box eight in the final.
Chuck Keeping
And Lorraine Jacky, who won her heat from box four in 29.68, has again drawn poorly in box six.
Zipping Duvall's toughest rival could be the Joe Scerri-trained Ruby's Wish, who was having her first 520m test since February when she led all the way to win her heat in 29.78.
Ruby's Wish had box seven in her heat but could be the pacemaker after drawing box two in the final.
It took a budding superstar in Flash Boom Bang to run down Stop It at Wentworth Park last Saturday and the Jason Magri-trained speedster appeals as Saturday's best bet in the Ladbrokes Bet Ticker Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Stop It bungled the start when he clashed with Flash Boom Bang and had to work hard to reach the lead approaching the home bend.
After being in front at the top of the straight, Stop It succumbed to Flash Boom Bang's renowned powerhouse finish and went down by just over a length in 29.75.
Stop It will exit box two for the first time on Saturday but he has posted four wins and a placing in five appearances from box one.
