There has not been a more impressive first-up Wentworth Park winner than POWER PAWS last Saturday night but connections of the Victorian bitch don't consider her good enough to return for the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase.
Instead, the daughter of Aussie Infrared and Quick Paws will target the Young Star heats at Wenty on October 13.
The $25,000 first prize for the Young Star is a far cry from the $1 million for the MDC but POWER PAWS' owner John Booker said: "She was whelped in May, 2022, so has a month up her sleeve for the Young Star while the Million Dollar Chase looks a bit tough for her.
"She has already won the $25,000 Princess Diamond at Shepparton and when she took that race out she had not previously seen the track.
"That is the beauty of POWER PAWS, she doesn't need a trial on a track before racing extremely well.''
POWER PAWS certainly did that at Wentworth Park on Saturday, bouncing in front from box four and posting dazzling splits of 5.40, 13.72 and 17.84 before running home in 11.76 for a 29.60 seven lengths winning romp.
Those first two sectional times were even quicker than Rinsed The Lot's splits when he defeated Power And Glory in 29.53 earlier that night.
She is trained at Sale, just over 200km from Melbourne, by Kellie Morrison, who, until last Saturday night, had not had a starter at Wentworth Park in her 16 years in the sport.
John Booker, POWER PAWS' owner, also bred Pay Call, who won the 2021 Group 3 Ladies Bracelet at Wentworth Park in equal race record time of 29.44 for Sydney trainer Peter Lagogiane.
Bailey Pringle, whose father David trained Shakey Jakey to set what seems to be the "unbreakable" Wentworth Park 520m record 29.07 in April, 2014, has hit the ground running as a trainer.
The 18-year-old rookie won a 440m maiden race at Goulburn last Friday with Highway Boy, his first starter as a trainer and will be seeking a second success when the dog contests race seven at Temora on Wednesday.
Highway Boy's dam Midnight Agenda, who won each of her only two races at Dubbo and Temora, is a grand-daughter of the Pringle clan's Midnight Capers, who won the 2012 group 1 National Futurity and was a great grand-daughter of Ready To Rise.
"I only have two in work, Highway Boy and his brother,'' Bailey Pringle said.
"Midnight Agenda, their dam, won her only two starts but then lost interest in chasing so we bred from her and Highway Boy is the promising result.''
Bailey's great uncle Ray Pringle trained the 1970 NSW Greyhound of the Year Tara Flash and grandfather Jack trained 1989 NSW Greyhound of the Year Worth Doing, one of the sport's all-time greats.
