It looms as a mouth-watering duel between a brilliant frontrunner and a powerful come-from-behind finisher when Mortified takes on Palawa King in Saturday night's Ladbrokes Sports Bar Free-For-All at Wentworth Park.
Mortified, fresh from a gallant second behind Umberto in the Group 1 Ladbrokes Dapto Megastar, will return to Wentworth Park after an absence of more than five months when she exits box four.
Palawa King, last month's 725m National Distance Championship winner, showed his remarkable versatility by easily beating boom youngster One Hot Bandit over 520m at Wentworth Park on September 6.
He will start from box five but will relish having only five rivals.
Palawa King's trainer Jack Smith said: "The small field suits him for sure but if Mortified runs a first split of 5.40 or better and clocks around 29.40 after going straight to the lead she is going to be awfully hard to catch.''
Palawa King after winning the National Distance Championship in August | Photo: Clint Anderson GRV
Mortified has not raced or trialled since the Megastar on September 7 but trainer Chris O'Brien has declared her ready to tackle Palawa King.
"Because we have had no rain and the tracks are pretty hard I didn't want to risk her bruising a toe so have kept her on the lead for the last 10 days or so,'' O'Brien said.
"Mortified reacts well to that sort of training so she is good to go on Saturday.''
Mortified
Palawa King's trainer Jack Smith has the two favourites, Bella Una and Miss McGraw, in Saturday night's Follow Redden Photo Video Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Smith leans to Bella Una as the likely winner of his pair.
"You can forget she went around when she finished sixth at Dubbo on September 9, it was a roughly run mix-up affair,'' Smith said.
"She went brilliantly clocking a flying 29.43 winning over 516m there at her previous start and while Miss McGraw is well drawn out wide, I was a bit disappointed with her fourth at Dubbo on September 9.
"Miss McGraw had box one in that race and I thought she squibbed it a little although if she happened to go straight to the front on Saturday she is capable of running fast time.''
Saturday's best bet should be Snowman, well boxed in two in the MDC City Qualifiers Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Snowman missed the jump and was never out of trouble from box four when seventh at Wentworth Park on September 9 but had scored two wins and a third from his previous three appearances at the track.
Mowski Bella was desperately unlucky when fourth, beaten a length, in Farmor Order's race at Wentworth Park last Saturday night and from her nice draw is a good value prospect in this week's Ladbroke It! Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Mowski Bella was rattling home along the fence rounding the home turn last Saturday but ran into the hindquarters of the tiring pacemaker and lost momentum.
She did well to recover and still clock 30.37 in defeat and is a winner of two races from box two, her draw on Saturday.
Michelle Sultana trained the winners of this week's Maitland and Bulli Million Dollar Chase regional finals, Isle's Entity and Al's Entity, but her favourite greyhound is Aston Ulysses, who will contest his 100th race at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Aston Ulysses, a winner of 36 races, has box four in the 520m Masters Stakes while Aston Barak, who lowered his colours when they met over 450m at Maitland on August 26, has drawn two.
Aston Ulysses gave Aston Barak five lengths' start in the middle stages at Maitland and went under in a tight finish, so the extra 70m on Saturday night is in his favour.
Aston Ulysses is a favourite at the Michelle Sultana kennels
