A 12-race program – with starts at 350m and 440m - kicks off at 11:19am on Friday, October 20 at Goulburn. The Group 3 Ladbrokes Goulburn Cup and Goulburn Fireball headline the card and here’s our full preview.
LADBROKES BEST BET
R3 - #4 Packham Silk | Anthony Azzopardi
A pair of Victorians dominate the best bets on the card at Goulburn and Packham Silk can get punters off to a winning start in the third.
She had three looks at the track in September for two wins and a second (to kennelmate Renegade Cochise) and the times were first class. 19.65 and 19.74 efforts jump off the page for the lightly raced commodity and she comes back to Goulburn fresh off a strong win at Shepparton.
Packham Silk draws Box 4, there is a vacant Box 5 to help her early and as long as defending champion Apollo Speed doesn’t recapture his form from a year ago, she looks mighty hard to beat.
She is also a full sister to Nangar Jim who goes around in the Goulburn Cup heats later on in the program and the litter out of Nangar Silk has won 34 of their 71 starts. Packham Silk looks above average.
Similar story to the kennelmate above in that Renegade Cochise is pretty good and has already had a few looks at the track as well.
He knocked off Packham Silk on September 15 and went 19.62 on a windy day at Goulburn to confirm his ability, then he stepped up to the 440m distance and ran 24.84 to make it back-to-back victories at the venue.
He’s since run within a length of Victorian star Unleash Collinda imn the heats of the Bendigo Cup, with that dog going on to run fourth in the final behind Alpha Zulu last week.
He draws absolutely perfectly to get the run of the race, and although he might be a run short heading into the heats, he is a super talented greyhound in a kennel that knows how to get them primed for big races.
The Goulburn Cup was won by Mellcat Big Boy in 2022 for John and Cath Mellon and he joined a long list of worthy champions including the likes of Wow, Emerald Rainbow, Scientific Man and Let It Develop.
Here's a quick preview of the four heats on Friday.
Her littermates get a bit more attention but Quantifiable (4) has been a ripper for Chris O’Brien in 2023. She’s won 11 races this calendar year and seems to be getting stronger with every appearance. She comes to Goulburn off an impressive 29.71 win at Wenty Park over a really good field on MDC Grand Final night and ran a bottler in the heats of the Southern Stars at this track in July when a narrow second to Zipping Orlando. Deserved favourite. Oscar Moses (5) has been a bit of a straight track specialist of late but he does have a PB of 24.79 over the Goulburn 450m. May need some room to move early on but if he gets into a bumping duel with the fav, his whopping 36.9kg frame may cause Quantifiable some concern. Strong and powerful type who will enjoy the big Goulburn straight. Mia She’s Fast (6) is a consistent bitch who has raced in three feature finals already in 2023 – the Gosford Gold Cup (second), the Richmond Oaks (eighth) and The Ambrosoli (fourth). Yet to see the track in race conditions but under the astute care of Franky Hurst. Ran third in the MDC semi-final and that form looks great now with Cumbria Kid running second in the big one, while Idolize took out the Consolation. And Nangar Larry (8) has won eight of 19 with six minors with both his starts in the pink resulting in victories.
One Hot Bandit (2) was superb during the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase series and capped it off with a fourth-placed finish in the Grand Final behind Jay Is Jay. A big, loping type who has run well at Goulburn before, with a best effort of 24.70 coming back in May when he knocked off the speedy Hooked On Fame. Different dog now and with the benefit of some tough races under his belt, we think he can only run well here from the low draw despite lacking some early pace. Fire Hose (7) presents a tough challenge for the youngster and has run 24.58 over the Goulburn 440m before. He won the MDC Regional Final at the track in 24.67 in September and Dave Geall knows how to win a Goulburn feature. Should be in front for a while. Fast Reason (5) ran fourth in one of the best form races of the last few years – the 2022 Zoom Top Maiden – and is now in the Peter Lagogiane kennel. May be a run or two short after only racing four times since March. And Tarawi Ferrari (8) is 4/5 in the pink rug and the Bilal kennel has produced some good results in feature races at Goulburn in recent years.
Nangar Jim (7) is flying for Jo McFadyen and Kat Ernst with seven wins from eight race starts for the kennel. His only miss came in the heats of the Group 2 Black Top where he had no luck and his performances around the one turn track at Maitland have been impeccable. Trialled at Goulburn a week ago in 24.67 and the spruik is real on a rising star who could blow them away with clean air. Coin Model (2) has been off the track for six months since finishing sixth in the Nowra Puppy Classic behind Tarawi Rocky. First up is the query with her but she was building a nice record before the break and will have been prepared well for this series by Gunning locals Andy and Jodie Lord. Good Odds Atlas (6) can run a drum with 13 starts so far producing four wins, seven seconds and a third for the Hurst camp. Debuted at the track in August in the Zoom Top Maiden heats and wasn’t disgraced behind Black Misery and subsequent MDC Maiden finalist Silent Accord. Needs luck from Box 6. And Battle Royal (8) isn’t coming up for a haircut with Anthony Azzopardi confident he can run well. He’s owned by Subby Ngurah and was educated at Goulburn but has done all his racing in Victoria so let’s see what he can do from the wide draw.
Zipping Novak (1) is the shortest priced favourite in the heats and that is justified following a slashing 29.49 win at Wentworth Park last Saturday night. Three back he ran 29.17 at Gosford and the miss in the middle was a semi-final of the MDC where he was slow away and never got into the contest (same race as Mia She’s Fast). The dog in Box 2 (Wiradjuri Jack) runs straight so if Zipping Novak can drive through underneath, he’ll be tough to get past. Bandit Bullet (4) will need to lead or be right on the hammer of the favourite to stand a chance but the draw doesn’t help. He’s a 24.64 dog at Goulburn though and anything near that will probably be good enough to advance to the final. Has Ability (5) made it all the way to the MDC Grand Final and jumped better than ever to give connections real hope early on. A first turn bump put him out of contention but he’s a dog in form, and even though he’s drawn sticky again, you can’t right him off in what is a drop in grade. And Wiradjuri Jack (2) ran in the final of the Cup in 2022 and Neil Staines will have his team well and truly set for the Goulburn features. Won at Temora last start and could surprise from a good draw and at big odds.
The Dogs Tips | 1, 4, 5, 2
Zipping Novak after winning the 2022 MDC Maiden
TRAINER IN FOCUS | Neil Staines
R1 | Dixie Country (Box 8) – it’s a good race. She’s coming back from a toe injury and she’s drawn a bit wide. If she gets out and clears them I expect her to run a pretty good race.
R6 | Manton Larry (Box 1) – everybody knows Larry, if he jumps, he’s a chance. He’ll either come out five in front or five behind. He’s going alright and he’ll be a good price so don’t be frightened to have $5 each way.
R9 | Country Rock (Box 7) – she’s a very smart little girl when she’s switched on. Box 7 won’t worry her and if she pings, she’ll be near the front for a while. She’d run 24.7 on her day but she’s local and that means something.
R10 | Bogan Valley (Box 1) – probably not up to it at this stage. We’re more hopeful than confident.
R11 | Luna Country (Box 3 and pictured below) – very good bitch and on the way up. She led a long way in the City Qualifer of the MDC and she’s a smart little lady. If she can get on the bunny, she’s a big chance.
Luna Country made the semi-finals of the 2023 MDC
R12 | Wiradjuri Jack (Box 2) – he’s a good chance too. He’s a 24.5 dog there at his best and if he gets in a good position early. He’s a big chance and I think he’s almost back to his best. His last run at Temora was a lot better than the time looks as well.
Country Roy (Box 6) – he’s an up-and-comer as well. He just takes two or three strides to get going so there not be enough space for him to really balance up. One to keep an eye on down the track.
Best Chance/s | Luna Country and Wiradjuri Jack
BOX STATS
Here are the box statistics for the Goulburn track ahead of the race day on October 20.
