The Ladbrokes Gardens club can not be happier with the quality and quantity of greyhounds they have been able to attract for Friday night’s heats of the Group 2 Sires On Ice Black Top.
When nominations closed on Tuesday morning, a total of 50 dogs had been nominated, and as a result six heats were drawn and the quantity is bulging with quality.
Among the headline grabbers are TAB Million Dollar Chase champion Good Odds Harada, the brilliant young dog Flying Ricciardo, NSW Sprint Championship Final placegetter Ebby Jet Power (pictured), and Group 1 National Futurity winner Zipping Veyron – and that is just the dogs in one heat of the Black Top.
Trainer Frank Hurst was taking Good Odds Harada to Ladbrokes Gardens this week to have a look at the track, as he will be making his debut on Friday night.
Good Odds Harada has drawn box six in heat four, and comes out alongside the Kristy Sultana-trained Flying Ricciardo, a winner of eight of his 10 starts, the latest a flying 29.73s last Saturday at Wentworth Park. He will exit the seven box and he too will be making his Ladbrokes Gardens’ debut.
Ebby Jet Power, another first starter at the Gardens, had drawn the four, and comes in off a strong third to Ritza Coen in last week’s NSW Sprint Championship Final.
Zipping Veyron, a lightning beginner, has won four of five at the Gardens, and will come out of box eight, so it will be a mad charge from the outside division on Friday.
The fifth heat sees Kristy Sultana’s sister Michelle’s greyhound, Unison in action out of the three box.
Unison has won 11 of his past 14 starts and finished second at the other three, and has won his past three at Wentworth Park. He failed at his only start at Ladbrokes Gardens back in December but there were excuses and he is going much better now.
Darryl Thomas’ promising dog Xerri is also in the heat, drawn the four box. Xerri is first-up since June, but has a very slick 29.38s personal best at Ladbrokes Gardens to his credit.
“They are hot aren’t they,” Michelle Sultana said. “There is a lot of pace in Unison’s heat. I’m looking at it and thinking I’m just going to close my eyes into that first turn.
“Darryl’s dog, Xerri, it can come out when it wants to, but he wants to crash to the rail. Hold your breath is all you can do
“And (Flying) Ricciardo is in a hot race too, so I know my sister will be feeling sick all week. But you’ve got to expect this when you step up to the Group races now.
The other interesting runner in Unison and Xerri’s heat is Caishen who has drawn box two.
Caishen has been campaigning very successfully with Anthony Azzopardi in Victoria, and won this year’s Launceston Cup in sizzling time. He is now back with owner Charlie Ricco for the Black Top and possibly beyond.
“Obviously because Anthony can’t travel, I’ll keep him here for this and then maybe the Million Dollar Chase, then send him back down there when things get better,” Riccio said.
“He’s went well down there. He only failed to earn a cheque once down in Melbourne and that was in the Ballarat Cup and I reckon it was one of the better runs of his life.
“He’s meeting a couple of very fast dogs in Unison and Xerri, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.
“They are hot heats. The Gardens club couldn’t have asked for better dogs. I thought there might be three heats, but I looked this morning and saw 50 nominations and I thought: are you kidding?
“There are some easier heats, and some harder heats but there’s some great dogs going around. It’s great for greyhound racing that there are so many good dogs up here.”
The opening heat has many chances with Fabulous Penny (box six), Galaxy Banner (box seven), Legendary Lass (box four), Miss Granger (box five), Zipping Jaffar (box three), My Blue Shadow (box two), and Lightning Vision (box one), all likely to have their supporters.
In the second heat, the flying Fire On Ice, a winner at the track in a sizzling 29.27s, will be strongly favoured from box six, while Good Odds Meghan (box five), Left Unsaid (box four), Old Mick Banner (box one), and Promising (box seven) all have a chance.
The third heat sees Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal winner Lilly Banner in box seven, the same draw she had at Wentworth Park when she led throughout to win the feature, Group 1 National Derby finalist Here Comes Joe in box four, Gosford Gold Cup winner Kid Candle has box eight, and Fleur Brann, a 29.57s Gardens’ winner two runs back, in box three.
The final heat of the night will see the clash of the highly touted Zipping Sultan, a winner of six of his eight starts, come out of box three, and the brilliant Aston Maeve who produced that stunning come from last win at the track back in May. The Jason Mackay-trained bitch who has run 29.30s at the track, has drawn box five.
