Saturday night's top grade 520m race at Wentworth Park is virtually a Golden Easter Egg prelude with 2024 big race winners Good Odds Cobber and Nangar Larry clashing with 2023 ace Mortified and up-and-coming star Hooked On Fame.
They will meet in the aptly-named GEE Heats March 31 non-graded event, with the box draw favouring Gosford Cup winner Good Odds Cobber.
The Frank Hurst-trained dog has box one, while Hooked On Fame has drawn two, Nangar Larry four and Mortified is "parked" out in box eight.
Good Odds Cobber's trainer Frank Hurst conceded it was a tough assignment for his dog, who remains eligible for a fourth-grade race at Wentworth Park, but said: "If he can't win on Saturday he probably can't win the Easter Egg.''
Good Odds Cobber has had box one in three of his 23 races and has won each time, clocking 22.42 and 22.36 over 400m at Bulli and a blistering 29.33 at Wentworth Park in January.
At his most recent outing, at Wentworth Park on February 28, Good Odds Cobber won a fourth and fifth grade, leading all the way in a best of the night 29.45 after jumping from box four.
"He pulled up a bit scratchy after that race but he is 100 percent again now,'' Frank Hurst said.
"Before that win, I had given Good Odds Cobber a post-to-post slip at Richmond and he clocked 25.07 so I gave him an identical trial there on Monday and he recorded 25.06.''
Another Golden Easter Egg candidate strutting his stuff on Saturday night is Superstar Ethics, who last week came from fourth early to win a Wentworth Park 520m fifth grade by nearly nine lengths in a blistering 29.44.
On Saturday Superstar Ethics has box four in the NSW GBOTA Welcome Stakes, a 520m fifth grade, where he will clash with his kennelmate Tyler Fly High, in box seven.
Tyler Fly High defeated Superstar Ethics when they met over 515m at Gosford on March 5 and four nights later won by six lengths at Wentworth Park in a personal best 29.60.
But their trainer Peter Rodgers said it is highly unlikely Tyler Fly High would upset his kennelmate again.
"Superstar Ethics in a much faster dog and he was a certainty beaten at Gosford.'' Rodgers said.
"Tyler Fly High is being set for the heats of the Simply Limelight New Sensation at Wentworth Park on April 3 so I am terribly disappointed he and Superstar Ethics have been drawn in the same race.
"But Superstar Ethics should win again and it may surprise people to learn that this dog is capable of jumping in front and leading throughout.
"In a recent succession of hand-slips at Wentworth Park he has broken record after record but he is still learning what the start is all about.''
Ibrox Wildfire, a Wentworth Park fan favourite in 2023, makes her return to racing in Saturday night's Ladbrokes Odds Surge Masters Stakes, a 520m second and third grade.
She has not raced since August 10 last year but was cleared to resume racing after clocking a slick 22.27 in a 388m trial at Gosford on February 20.
Ibrox Wildfire has had 10 wins and 16 placings from 31 Wentworth Park races and trainer Billy Dance said: "She is not as good now as when she clocked 29.55 at Wenty a year ago but is going pretty well.
"She turned four in February so I'd say she is going about two-tenths of a second below her absolute best.
"I gave her a box-to-box trial at last week and she went well enough to have a good chance on Saturday night.
"She loves Wenty, it is her favourite track, and with a clear run I reckon Ibrox Wildfire can clock between 29.70 and 29.90 on Saturday.''
