Victorian-trained greyhounds have won five of the past 10 Group One Association Cup finals and Double Denim will be on trial for a crack at the 2025 series when she makes her Wentworth Park debut on Thursday night.
Double Denim, who has box one in the 720m fourth and fifth grade Ladbrokes Mates Mode Pots Stakes, is trained by Matt Clark, already trainer of a Group One winner at Wentworth Park.
Clark took out the 2020 Vic Peters Classic with Playlist, was runner-up in a National Derby heat in 2020 with Kuro Kismet, and was trainer of Catch The Thief when that dog was a luckless unplaced favourite in a 2021 heat of the Golden Easter Egg.
Sweet It Is (2014), Space Star (2015), Lioness Lulu (2016), Trip to Eden (2017) and Gypsy Wyong in 2022 took the first prizemoney back to Victoria after their Association Cup wins and Matt Clark believes Double Denim could be the perfect greyhound for this year's heats on April 5.
"She has won 10 of 39 starts but what convinced me to give her a shot at the big race is how she has kept improving every week,'' Clark said.
"Double Denim is ideally drawn in box one on Thursday but while she has never seen Wentworth Park I don't think that will worry her because she is a greyhound who thinks when she is running.
"Double Denim is a front-running stayer but while she tends to have a flat spot in the middle of her races, that is usually the sign of a good long-distance greyhound.''
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With two wins from four appearances wearing the red rug and boasting a 41.95 performance over 715m at Sandown, Double Denim looks well placed in Thursday's low grade event.
Clark also has Playback and Baywara contesting 520m fifth grades at Wentworth Park on Thursday.
Playback has box eight in the Ladbrokes Sports Bar Stakes while Baywara has drawn four in the Farrell's 1-2 Wins Stakes.
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"Like Double Denim, they have not trialled or raced at Wentworth Park but they both have ability,'' Clark said.
"Playback is a son of my Vic Peters Classic winner Playlist and has had four wins and five placings from 22 starts.
"He is ideally positioned in box eight.
"Baywara has no early pace and will probably come out slowly and dive onto the rails.
"I nominated him because in Sydney you have races for dogs with one to two wins, which we don't have in Victoria, and I think that's a great innovation.''
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Jayla Magic will head to Nowra for the April 20 heats of the group two Ladbrokes Nowra Puppy Classic if she goes well in her Wentworth Park debut on Thursday night.
Now trained by Jay Opetaia for Cowra breeder-owner Pam Braddon, Jayla Magic has had four wins and seven placings from 11 country starts.
She has box seven in Thursday's Follow RPV Race Images Stakes fifth grade 520m event, and Opetaia believes she will be suited drawn wide.
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"Pam Braddon told me Jayla Magic likes to use a bit of the track and when I trialled her at Wentworth Park last Thursday she got wide,'' Opetaia said.
"She only clocked 30.26 but she was having just her second ever 520m hit-out and her run home of 11.93 suggests she is strong.''
Zipping Evania should only need to begin cleanly to win Thursday's opening event, the NSW GBOTA Welcome Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Trainer Jason Magri said: "When she trials Zipping Evania shows good early speed but in races lately she has not been jumping well enough to make use of it.
"But I'm really happy with her inside draw this week.''
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Best bet on Thursday looms as Good Odds Rocky, who is also well positioned in box two in the 520m fifth grade Ladbrokes Odds Surge Stakes.
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Good Odds Rocky was hampered crossing to the rails from box five but was still able to win in 29.91 at Wentworth Park last Thursday and goes into this race with three wins from four starts, despite a run of awkward draws.
Good Odds Rocky won his heat and final of the Robert Smith Memorial at The Gardens from boxes four and six and had no luck from a horror box eight draw when fourth, at his sole unplaced performance, at his Wentworth Park debut on March 6.
