MAC Ibrox clocked easily his fastest Wentworth Park time when he won easily from box eight last Saturday but trainer Billy Dance is delighted at the prospect of his greyhound coming out of box one this Saturday night.
Mac Ibrox led throughout in a slick 29.74 last week and will carry the hopes of favourite backers when he wears the red rug in Saturday's NSW GBOTA Chairman's Cup, a 520m fourth and fifth grade.
Ibrox Wildfire, who has won six races at Wentworth Park and has recorded a flying 29.55 there, is a kennelmate and litter sister of Mac Ibrox but Dance has always rated the latter as the quicker of the pair.
"Ibrox Wildfire is slightly stronger at the end of her races but Mac Ibrox has always been faster than his sister,'' Dance said.
"Until last week Mac Ibrox had won just one of his 11 Wenty starts but he fell at his second run there and I think that sapped his confidence.
"I kept him away from racing at Wentworth Park from August until last week but in the lead-up to last Saturday I gave him two box-to-box trials there.
"I did that to let him see that he could get through the first turn safely, hoping it would restore his confidence and he went super in last week's race.
"Mac Ibrox has always tended to veer left from wide boxes so I'm delighted to see him in box one on Saturday.
"From that draw I will have to dig out my book of excuses if he gets beaten.''
Their part owner Chris Nutt believes litter brothers and kennelmates Rockstar Rampe and Rockstar Gunnar have drawn "close to ideally" in boxes one and two in Saturday night's GBOTA Members Maiden Final, 520m.
Finalists qualified via heats at Wentworth Park on November 9, with Rockstar Rampe finishing fast to win in 30.37 while Rockstar Gunnar also came home strongly for a distant second behind quickest winner Hold It in 30.35.
Hold It appears to have drawn awkwardly in box eight in the final but the Shaun Evans-trained "Rockstar duo" are suited from inside boxes, according to Evans' training and ownership partner Chris Nutt.
"I was hoping Rockstar Gunnar would get box one but I'm not complaining about box two, especially as Rockstar Rampe is also suited by his box one draw,'' Nutt said.
"There has never been much between our pair but since the heats Shaun and I have given them two trials on our straight track and Gunnar has beaten Rampe each time.''
Most perfectly drawn runner at Wentworth Park on Saturday night is Twinkle Toes Tom, who has box one in the Congratulations Bryan Young Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Twinkle Toes Tom is undefeated in two races from box one and in four appearances from boxes one to three he has won on three occasions.
Last Wednesday at Wentworth Park, Twinkle Toes Tom came from last to finish a distant second to Gozo King in 29.80, the second fastest time of the night.
