She Is Fire is heading to Sydney for Saturday night's heats of the Group 2 Farrell's Sydney Cup after trainer Mark Moroney considered reserving her for next month's middle distance Group 1 Hume Cup at The Meadows.
She Is Fire, who has won her past four races, including nine of her 12 most recent appearances, has tackled the Wentworth Park 720m Sydney Cup trip just once, winning in 42.02.
"I was toying with the idea of saving her for middle distance races but then I thought I might as well put her in the Cup because she will lead those strong stayers and they will have to catch her,'' Moroney said.
"When she won her only 720m race at Wentworth Park, She Is Fire's first sectional time was 15.90, not far outside the 280m record, so she is capable of giving them something to chase.''
From humble beginnings... She Is Fire after her first win at the Coonamble Carnival in 2023
Meanwhile Skinny Juan's last-to-first win over 622m at Richmond on Friday has earned her a crack at Saturday's Farrell's Sydney Cup heats.
Skinny Juan, who was badly hampered early and came from a seemingly impossible position approaching the home bend to win running away at Richmond, and has won over the Wentworth Park 720m Cup course in 42.15.
"She has not done much racing lately because I took her to Brisbane to trial in preparation for a couple of big long-distance races up there but she contracted a virus,'' trainer Harry Sarkis said.
"It has taken me a while to get her right again but she went so well at Richmond on Friday she deserves a chance in Saturday's Cup heats.''
But an old injury has flared up, ruling Palawa King out of Saturday night's heats of the Sydney Cup.
The champion stayer's career is merely on hold according to trainer Jack Smith.
Palawa King's arch rival Valpolicella, trained in Brisbane by Tony Zammit but owned and bred by Sydney accountant Sandro Bechini, has been named Australia's top dog for the first nine months of the year in pointscore rankings by Greyhound Clubs of Australia.
Valpolicella: Ranked Australia's Top Dog by Greyhound Clubs of Australia
Based on points accrued through performances from January 1 until September 30, Valpolicella was rated number one ahead of Victorian sprint stars MORTON and Explicit.
The Frank Hurst-trained Good Odds Cobber was crowned the best performer Australia-wide for the month of September.
Amanda Holyfield changed kennels immediately after her seven lengths winning romp at Wentworth Park on Thursday night.
Owned by Di and Clay Mawson, Amanda Holyfield notched her seventh win in 27 starts, and her second at headquarters, when she clocked 29.93 for the 520m.
After Thursday's race she was transferred to the kennels of Michael Hardman, with Clay Mawson, part-owner of the Smith-trained champion Jungle Deuce, explaining: "Jack Smith simply has too many young dogs coming in from the breakers and he doesn't want his kennel to become too big to handle personally.
"He has decided he needed to move some of his present team on and last week he sold Irinka Lindsay, Irinka Lottie and Irinka Benji to make room for the new arrivals.
"We fully understand his decision to ask us to find another trainer for Amanda Holyfield.''
Watchmaker earned a tilt at Sunday's heats of the Young Star at Wentworth Park with a runaway 29.92 win in a 520m trial at headquarters on Thursday night.
The Neil Staines-trained dog had been unplaced at Goulburn and Nowra before leading all the way in the three-dog trial, recording handy early splits of 5.44 and 13.90.
Whelped in May, 2022, Watchmaker, who has had two wins and three placings from six Wentworth Park appearances, is the ideal age for the Young Star, which is open to greyhounds born on or after April 1, 2022.
"He goes better at Wenty than anywhere,'' Neil Staines said.
