Mark and Lisa Delbridge have long been training greyhounds for the Wheeler family so would dearly love to take out next week's $75,000 to the winner Paul Wheeler Simply The Best final.
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They are bringing Paw Petrov (heat one, box eight) and Paw Oswald (heat four, box eight), owned by Jan and Paul Wheeler's son Brendan, from Melbourne for Saturday night's heats.
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Paw Petrov has recorded a flying 29.39 at Wentworth Park while Paw Oswald's personal best at the track is a slick 29.42 but Lisa Delbridge is disappointed with their dogs' wide draws.
"Box eight for both dogs has done us no favours, an inside draw with at least one of them would have been nice,'' Lisa Delbridge said.
"Paw Petrov is going a bit better than Paw Oswald at the moment so he looks to be our best chance on Saturday night.''
Litter sisters Both Bowers Ace and Gets Late Early are suitably drawn in heats one and two of the Paul Wheeler according to trainer Minnie Finn.
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"Gets Late Early needs to be drawn wide so box seven is great for her and if she comes out like she did when she led all the way from box six at Wentworth Park last Saturday she will be hard to toss,'' Finn said.
"Both Bowers Ace is perfectly positioned on the fence although Zipping Chaplin, trained by my daghter-in-law Courtney Barnes, is a faster dog.
"Two out Zipping Chaplin would beat Both Bowers Ace but in a field it is a different story and Zipping Chaplin has box five.''
Make No Promise becomes eligible for Masters races in NSW when he turns four next month so the dog's Victorian owners sent him to Sydney trainer Mark Gatt.
"But he trialled so well at Wentworth Park recently I decided to put him into Saturday night's Ladbrokes Paul Wheeler series,'' Gatt said.
"Make No Promise was placed in each of three Wentworth Park starts when he was previously in NSW but missed the jump every time.
"He has been getting away cleanly in Melbourne recently but against him on Saturday is that he has box seven in heat four and Make No Promise is a 'case' for an inside box.''
Gatt believes his bitch Go Lani can notch her seventh Wentworth Park win in Saturday's Ladbrokes Sports Bar Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
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"She looks well graded in this race and I don't mind her having box five,'' Gatt said.
"I actually prefer her drawn in the middle of the track.''
The four heats of the Ladbrokes Paul Wheeler highlight Saturday night's Wentworth Park card but for punters a pair of greyhounds who will wear the red rug in minor races look to be the stand-out bets.
Tracker, who beat all but the placegetters in the Group 2 Maitland Cup final on December 6, will exit box one in the opening event, the fifth grade NSW GBOTA Welcome Stakes over 520m.
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Less than an hour later Ritza Piper looks a "put in and take out" prospect from the same draw in Saturday's only 720m race, the non graded Congratulations Ray Hadley Stakes.
Tracker is the only Wentworth Park winner in race one, having clocked 29.79 in scoring from box three in an identical grade on September 14.
The dog's trainer Jason Mackay said: "Tracker does look well placed in this race, especially as he is coming off the much tougher Maitland Cup series.
"An early race is a bonus for a dog like him and although Tracker will want to shift out two or three off the rail early, he is a big lump of a dog (35kg) and he will bullock his way through if he has to.''
Not only is Tracker the sole Wentworth Park winner in the race, but on times at headquarters he has the equivalent of six lengths advantage over his nearest rival, Monticello (box two).
Ritza Piper, a Greyhound of the Year finalist, NSW Distance Championship and group 2 Summer Distance Plate winner who has earned over $422,000, looks equally well placed in Saturday's 720m race.
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The Joe Scerri-trained bitch has won 10 races over the Wentworth Park 720m trip, one more than the combined total of her five rivals.
And like Tracker, Ritza Piper looks to have the proverbial "minute" on her opponents, boasting a best Wentworth Park time of 41.78.
Next quickest lining up against her on Saturday is What Can Do, whose fastest Wenty figures are 42.04.
To cap it off, Ritza Piper is a real "box one bandit" having had four wins and a placing from five appearances carrying the red rug, including a near record win over 715m at Ladbrokes Gardens exactly 12 months ago.
