The best greyhounds from all points of the compass have been drawn in Saturday’s heats of the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg, with headlines acts Flying Ricciardo, Wow, Shima Shine and Tommy Shelby all drawn to advance through to the semi-finals.
Among the other leading candidates in the heats who are poised to win through to the Egg semi-finals on March 27, are 2020 TAB Million Dollar Chase winner Handsome Prince, Richmond Derby winner Incapacitated, and Australian Cup runner-up Fernando Bluey.
But all eyes when the draw came out were looking to see where Flying Ricciardo had drawn and there he was sitting up in box 1 in heat 7.
Flying Ricciardo, the series’ favourite after a stunning 29.35s performance at Wentworth Park last Wednesday, meets the likes of Fire On Ice (box 8), Victorians Aston Cade (box 7) and Zipping Zarbo (box 6) and Richmond Derby finalist It’s A Rush (box 2).
Good Odds Harada was drawn in the heat in box 5 but a mishap when trialling on Tuesday at Appin has seen trainer Frank Hurst err on the side of caution and scratch the dog form the series.
Three times Flying Ricciardo has worn the red rug - over the Wentworth Park short course last June, at Bathurst in the Million Dollar Chase heats in September, and then in his comeback from injury run at Maitland earlier this month. He has won all three and led in all three.
“I don’t think it really matters to him what box he gets as he is a good beginner, but I personally would have preferred outside, just due to the speed in the field,” trainer Kristy Sultana said. “I guess at least he’s on the inside so if there is a charge into the first corner, dogs seem to be better off on the inside.
“He’s been great since last week’s run, everything has been really good, we can’t complain at all.
“They are all really good heats with some great dogs in most of them. It’s funny you look at some of the other heats and think I wouldn’t mind be in them, but while some might look easy than others, or easier than your own, it never works out that way.”
The dog considered the best in the land, Andrea Dailly’s Shima Shine, runner-up in the 2019 Million Dollar Chase behind Good Odds Harada, has drawn box two in heat 2.
Shime Shine has been in stunning form of late, breaking the Horsham track record, then winning the Horsham Cup final the week after.
He last came to Wentworth Park for 2020 Million Dollar Chase semis where he managed only third behind Wallbanger.
Shima Shine has drawn alongside the Jason Mackay-trained Avalanche, the dog who resumed from a long layoff with a smashing 30.07s win at Richmond in the Derby heats off the one box. He wasn’t able to lead the following week in the final when striking trouble coming across from box 7 and didn’t figure in the finish.
Also in the heat are Angela Langton’s talented Jepara (box 3), a runner-up to Fernando Bluey in the heats of the Australian Cup, Peter Lagogiane’s Ava Wine (box 5) and the always consistent Winlock On Top (box 8).
Australian Cup champion Tommy Shelby will make the trek across from Perth for another shot at a big race win at Wentworth Park.
The superstar dog was third in the Million Dollar Chase grand final last October, but has since won two group 1s, the Hobart Thousand last December and the memorable win in the Australian Cup last month.
He has come up with box 8 in heat 1, the same box he had the night he ran third to Handsome Prince in the Chase Final.
In the same heat are the in form Ritza Donald (box 7), the consistent at this level Ebby Infrared (box 6) and up and comer Super Estrella (box 3).
“It’s not great, it’s a good heat with lots of speed,” Tommy Shelby’s trainer Steve Withers said from Perth of the box 8 draw. “It looks really tough. We had box 8 in the Million Dollar Chase final, but it’s more dependent on who is around you and how it sets up. There was speed in the Million Dollar Chase, but Handsome Prince (who had box 7) was the likely leader who carts left.
“It looks tough, but I don’t know the Sydney form well enough, the patterns or the breakdowns of how the dogs map, but on the surface it looks very tough. We could be home very early.
“I know the dog is going well. I trialed him around Cannington last week and he sizzled, he set new personal best sectionals, so he’s going well, we know he doesn’t back out, we know he chases, but we can’t control the other ones around us.”
Withers and Tommy Shelby fly to Sydney this Thursday morning.
Handsome Prince has been plagued with niggling injuries in recent months, but trainer Peter Lagogiane believes he is ready to go and has clocked some slick times in trials recently.
Handsome Prince hasn’t started since being injured in the heats of the Melbourne Cup back in November last year.
He has drawn box 2 in heat 4, the same box he came out of in the semi-finals of the Million Dollar Chase.
Jeff Britton’s Do It has drawn box 4 in the heat, with smart locals Ice Cream Story (7), Kurios Motion (box 6), Zulu Warlord (box 5), and Ritza Coen (box 8), among the chances of advancing to the Egg semis.
“We finally drew a box close to the fence,” a delighted Lagogiane said of Handsome Prince.
“He’s where he was (form wise) when he won the Million Dollar Chase, and if that’s good enough at this stage we’ll find out on Saturday. He’s going pretty well, he’s over all the little injuries, it’s just up to him now.
“The only downside is it’s his first 500m. I’ve given him plenty of galloping up our straight and post to posts, and I can’t see a problem.”
Lagogiane also has Barcia Blue Boy, the Bulli Gold Cup winner, engaged in the heats and he has drawn box 2 in heat 8.
There is tremendous speed in the heat with Aston Zodiac (box 1), Richmond Oaks winner Crazy Cool in box 3, Victorian Tyler Durden in box 5 and West Australian star Zack Monelli in box 6.
Dual Group 1 winner Wow has come up with box 8 in heat 5 of the Egg, a draw he has won from previously but not in his one Wentworth Park start from the draw.
Hardest to beat will be the in-form John Finn-trained Zipping Kyrgios (box 5) a stunning 29.37s winner at Wentworth Park recently, and Victorian Jax Bale who has drawn box 4.
Richmond Derby winner Incapacitated has drawn well in box 2 in heat 6 of the series, and barring incident should advance to the semi-finals.
Hardest for the Justin King-trained sprinter to beat will be Lismore Cup winner Fire Legend, and last start Wentworth Park winner Roman Remiss who clocked best of the night figures of 29.52s on Saturday.
Smart Victorian Mr Fix It, a winner at his past two starts at The Meadows including the Australian Cup Consolation, looks had to beat in heat 9 of the Egg despite drawing box 4.
Another Victorian, Lakeview Walter, who was fourth to Wow in the Group 1 Temlee last month, has drawn box 5 and looks the main danger, while local Unreal Ethics, who chased home Flying Ricciardo last week in fast time, must be given a chance.
And the final heat of the night sees the speedy Fernando Bluey, runner-up to Tommy Shelby in the Australian Cup Final make his Wentworth Park debut.
The Kayla Cotterell-trained sprinter was caught on the line in the Australian Cup last start and has come up with box 4 in heat 10.
Million Dollar Chase Grand Finalist Wallbanger has drawn 8, Rowdy Robby is in 1, while Vicki’s Queen has box 3.
