The leading kennels of Minnie Finn, Dennis Barnes and Peter Lagogiane headline three heats of the 2025 Ladbrokes Summer Six Hundred at Gosford on Tuesday.
The feature, formerly known as the Gold Cup, attracting the premier middle-distance greyhounds in NSW in what looms as a key lead-up race to the Ladbrokes Country Classic series kicking off on March 3.
Heat 1 will see reigning Group 2 Gosford Gold Cup winner Gets Late Early jump from a favourable wide draw on a track she’s dominated in recent times.
Her six starts on the Central Coast have resulted in five wins and a second, with the daughter of Poco Dorado set to celebrate her third birthday on February 8, the same day as the $25,000 final.
In order to secure safe passage through to the decider, she’ll have to knock off the talented Boston Banner and the evergreen Nangar Rocket.
The former was a multiple group finalist in 2024, running fourth in the Vic Peters Classic (G1), second in the Black Top (G2), seventh in the Dapto Middle Distance Championship (G3) and seventh again in the Paul Wheeler – Simply The Best (G1).
Trainer Barry Gibbons gave his charge a look at the Gosford 603m back on January 14, with Make Them Cry beating him home by 4.5 lengths.
Nangar Rocket has only raced across the border in Queensland so far this year, with the Dennis Barnes-prepared runner finishing fifth in the Group 1 Golden Sands final behind kennelmate Nangar Gypsy on January 9.
He will start as the oldest dog in the series but he has a great record from Box 1 and claimed his only start at the track over the distance in a time of 34.47.
Heat 2 includes Group 1-placegetter Zipping Chaplin and Dapto Middle Distance Championship winner, Might Have Been.
Zipping Chaplin debuted over the middle-distance in the heats of the Golden Sands on January 2, but faded over the last 50m and ran third to star stayer, Ethanol Water.
He returned to Wentworth Park on January 11 and clocked a new 520m PB of 29.25, but was run down by Both Bowers Ace in a free for all contest on January 23 to further query his credentials at 600m.
Might Have Been is a proven commodity over the trip but the 15-time winner has only had one start since November 5.
That came over 324m in the Richmond Straight Cup heats where he almost jagged a spot in the final.
There’s no doubting the Finn kennel will have him ready to go on Tuesday but maybe he won’t be fully wound up until the February 8 final, should he qualify.
Away from that looming match race, Northern Rivers hopeful, One More Beer, and rising sprinter Screaming Violet look likely to battle it out for third, with the latter making her debut at the trip.
The final heat pits Group 1 winner Nangar Gypsy against Group 3 winner West Rock Casey and emerging type, Make Them Cry.
Nangar Gypsy finished last in a heat of the Gold Bullion at Albion Park in her last run, but is drawn beautifully (8: 6-0-1) in Box 2 for her return to NSW racing.
West Rock Casey comes out of the Group 1 National Derby final where he was just outpaced early but he did win the Muswellbrook Cup late last year over 570m.
He has emerged alongside litter brother Late Night News as a rising star of the sport, with owner/trainer Caroline Hughes already giving him three starts at the track and trip for two wins and a second.
And although Make Them Cry hasn’t been costly for punters to follow in her early days (six wins and 14 placings from 24 starts), she seems to be relishing the step up to middle-distance racing.
The litter sister to Dalwhinnie won over the 603m at Gosford in a very sharp time of 34.28 in her last start, and was one of the runs of the race in the recent Gosford Gold Cup final, savaging the line to finish fourth behind Gets Late Early.
The preliminaries of the $25,000 Ladbrokes Summer Six-Hundred will be run at Gosford on January 28, with the final slated for February 8.
The race also kickstarts two months of premier middle-distance racing with The Clarence, The Richmond and The Ladbrokes Country Classic all set to be contested across February and March.
