A sensational Wentworth Park trial has Victorian-trained Aunt Virginia not only looking the winner of Friday night's third heat of the Group One Ladbrokes National Futurity but also the one to beat in the January 20 final.
Aunt Virginia was seeing Wentworth Park for the first time when she produced an electrifying 29.49 performance in a solo hit-out last Saturday night.
To put Aunt Virginia's trial into context, the fastest time ever posted in a National Futurity was the 29.74 recorded by Striker Light, another Victorian greyhound, in 2017.
In her Wentworth Park trial, Aunt Virginia drifted off the track slightly going through the first corner, indicating she will be comfortable running in the centre of the track on Friday.
Even her trainer John Paraskevas, who prepares greyhounds as a hobby, admitted: "I was very surprised she was able to go that quick at her first look at Wentworth Park.''
And no, Aunt Virginia is not named after a relative of the trainer, but from a line in a song by Everclear, a 1990s American rock band.
"I name all my greyhounds after the titles or lines from Everclear's songs,'' Paraskevas said.
Aunt Virginia winning at The Meadows in 2023 | Photo: Clint Anderson
Good Odds Cobber will be out to break a 14-year hoodoo when he exits box one in Friday night's first heat of the Group One Ladbrokes National Derby at Wentworth Park.
Frank Hurst's Beast Unleashed Gosford Gold Cup victor will be attempting to become the first greyhound since 2010 to win the Derby after taking out the Group Two Central Coast final.
That was the year Elite Blue Size, the Queensland champion trained by Reg Kay, landed the double.
Good Odds Cobber faces stiff opposition in his bid to make the January 20 Derby final as he is up against in-form duo Overflow Beau and Zipping Optimise in what looms as the strongest heat.
On Wentworth Park times there is little between the crack young trio with Zipping Optimise boasting a personal best of 29.58, .10sec faster than Overflow Beau, while Good Odds Cobber's quickest figures are 29.68.
But Frank Hurst's dog has a massive advantage in the box draw.
He is ideally positioned in one while Overflow Beau and Zipping Optimise could have a bumping duel from their adjacent boxes of five and six respectively.
Leading Melbourne trainer Jeff Britton took out the National Derby and Futurity double in 2019 with Axel Footluce and Circle Of Dreams and is launching a powerful attack seeking to repeat that triumph in 2024.
Britton is bringing six greyhounds to Wentworth Park on Friday - House Of Turbo, Mepunga Shine, Mepunga Smokey and Weblec Wolf in the Derby heats and Mepunga Luna along with Groovebird in the Futurity qualifiers.
"My six entries will be seeing Wenty for the first time so I'm not confident about landing the big double again,'' Britton said.
"One of my best chances would be Mepunga Smokey, who has box seven in heat four of the Derby.
"I have House Of Turbo in box eight in heat one and while he has terrific early pace but he struggles at the end of 520m.
"Weblec Wolf, who has box eight in heat five, can run but is a hit-and-miss beginner and he will be looking for the rails in the run to the first corner.
"I probably have a better chance in the Derby because of my two Futurity runners Mepunga Luna, who has box eight in heat two, went well clocking 29.97 at The Meadows at her last start but is badly drawn.
