CARVED In Stone has been placed in four of his eight Wentworth Park starts and Alan Proctor, whose wife Christine trains the speedy son of Aston Dee Bee, believes the dog has a great chance of breaking through for his first city win on Wednesday night.
Carved In Stone has box two in the 520m fifth grade #getyourgreyhoundon Stakes, and his connections consider him drawn to win.
"Earlier in his career Carved In Stone was a bit weak at the end of 520m but he has got stronger,'' Alan Proctor said.
"Box two will suit him on Wednesday because he likes to be drawn near the fence.
"He has improved because his past few runs have been his best, especially his second placings up the straight at Richmond on Christmas Eve and over 472m at Bulli on January 3.''
Carved In Stone is bred in the purple, being a litter brother to Ladbrokes Gardens 515m record holder French Martini, a winner of 12 races, and a younger half brother to Ice Cream Story, winner of 15 races in strong company.
Speedy Fernando, who led from the first turn to win her maiden race at Wentworth Park last Wednesday, can "do a Tommy Kade" and make an instantly successful transition to fifth grade by taking out the 520m winningedgeinvestments.com Stakes.
On Saturday night Tommy Kade, who had won his maiden race at his Wentworth Park debut on December 21, stepped up to grade five and scored an easy win when a long odds-on favourite.
Speedy Fernando was having only her second start when she won at Wentworth Park last week and from box one should have no trouble coping with the rise in class on Wednesday night.
"When she won last week Speedy Fernando was not only having her second race but she had only been over 520m once previously,'' trainer Michael Clayton said.
"Before her first start, when she was a luckless fifth on December 28, I gave her a box-to-box trial at Wentworth Park and she recorded a first split of 5.51.
"From box one Speedy Fernando should be able to repeat that time on Wednesday night and those figures should enable her to hold the lead at the first turn.
"She will keep improving because she is still learning and box one is good because there is not much of her, she is only a bit over 25kg.''
Andrew Rowe and his daughter Karly train three of the six entries in Wednesday night's wentworthpark.com.au Masters Stakes but he believes box one makes Taw General their best chance.
"We should at least go home with some prizemoney,'' quipped Rowe.
"There is nothing between Taw General, who has box one, and his sister Summer Key, who has four, but the draw favours Taw General.
"His third placing to Wing Chun Girl at Wentworth Park last Saturday night was a terrific run because he would have finished closer if he had not collided with Nangar Archie at the first turn.
"Nangar Archie finished up running second but the collision did not do either greyhound any good.
"Taw General looks to have a great draw because my daughter Karly's greyhound Exude Lightness, who has box two, usually gets away cleanly but wants to run wide.
"Exude Lightness should give Taw General plenty of room to move in the run to the first corner.
"But Summer Key is as quick as Taw General and if she happened to beat him out she could finish ahead of him.''
Best bet on Wednesday should be Our Amelia in the fifth event, a 520m third and fourth grade, because she has won five of her 10 Wentworth Park starts and her best Wenty time of 29.67 is far quicker than the fastest figures posted by any of her rivals.
