It took the mighty Jungle Johnny to run down the Jason Magri-trained Zipping Kristoff in a National Derby heat at Wentworth Park on January 11 but Magri's dog drops back to fifth grade on Thursday night and should break through for his first win at headquarters.
As a bonus Zipping Kristoff has drawn ideally in box one in the Ladbrokes GEE Calcutta Stakes over 520m and goes into the race boasting far and away the quickest Wentworth Park figures.
An unexpected error occurred.
When Jungle Johnny beat Zipping Kristoff by three-quarters of a length in the Derby heat he stopped the clock at 29.53 giving Magri's greyhound a fast time of 29.58.
Magri has such a high opinion of Zipping Kristoff that he took the dog to the Riverina on March 9 for a heat of the Group 2 Temora Cup and after finishing third to Unleash In Miami in that 457m race, he was beaten 10 lengths into last position in Good Odds Cobber's final.
Zipping Kristoff
But Thursday night's Wentworth Park event represents a massive plunge in class, and even Steve Lambley, whose dog Dashing Dennis looks hardest for Zipping Kristoff to beat, is resigned to taking home prizemoney.
"Jason Magri's dog looks too good for this field, especially from box one, and I'll be happy if Dashing Dennis runs second,'' Lambley said.
Dashing Dennis took the lead at the first turn before winning comfortably in 30.06 at Wentworth Park last Thursday and Lambley said the dog pulled up well after that race.
"I train him by swimming him in the George's River three or four times a week and Dashing Dennis thrives on that,''Lambley said.
"I bought him sight unseen for $12,000 as an unraced, untried dog from Orange breeder Dennis Barnes.
"Dennis said he was no world beater but assured me he would be a handy performer and how right he was as this dog has won 10 races and earned over $24,000 already.''
Dashing Dennis
Calla Axel's poor box manners continue to frustrate trainer Sam Simonetta but he believes the dog will not get a better chance to score his first Wentworth Park win than when he tackles Thursday's Ladbrokes Bet Ticker Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Calla Axel was a fast finishing third, beaten over seven lengths, behind Frank Hurst's boom youngster Good Odds Rocky at Wentworth Park last week and Simonetta is happy with his dog's box three draw on Thursday night.
An unexpected error occurred.
"He gets his chance this week because I don't think Calla Axel will find an easier race in town,'' Simonetta said.
"At his first look at Wenty, in a post-to-post hand-slip, Calla Axel clocked 24.28, a smart run for a fifth grade newcomer.
"And he has won seven races up the Richmond straight where he goes like a rocket.
"But around the circle he always comes out poorly and that's been his downfall so far at Wenty.''
Wagga trainer Peter Sims, whose dog Unleash In Miami defeated Good Odds Cobber in a Temora Cup heat before finishing a luckless fifth to that greyhound in the final, has three runners with sound form at Wentworth Park on Thursday night.
But Sims is not confident about the chances of Scrutinise who has box one in the Ladbrokes Blackbook Stakes, All Champagne (box two, Punters Assist Stakes) and Meniketti (box six, Ladbrokes Mates Mode Pots Stakes).
Sims said: "Scrutinise recorded 29.81 in his first trial around Wentworth Park but has only been placed in two of four races there.
"He has a bit of ability and looks well boxed but he is a funny sort of a dog.
"All Champagne has never seen the track so that will make her job tough while Meniketti has been a big disappointment to me.
"He looked like being a top notcher early in his career but even though he has had four wins and four placings from a dozen races at Wenty he has not gone on with it the way I had expected.''
Scrutinise's hardest to beat is likely to be Tomorrow Wendy (box seven) who has "come out running" to win her past two starts over 520m at Dapto and Nowra in the fast times of 29.60 and 29.54.
Tomorrow Wendy railed well in those wins and her main worry on Thursday could be her wide draw.
She is trained by Joe Scerri, whose top class stayer Ritza Piper retired in December after winning 20 of 61 starts and nearly $425,000.
