Power And Glory, the greyhound credited with recording the fastest ever post-to-post slip at Wentworth Park, rocketed onto racing's big stage on Saturday night by clocking the quickest time of the four semi-finals of the group one Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg.
The Ken Burnett-trained dog trailed Victorian champion Lakeview Emily and Sunset Hornet from WA to the back straight before accelerating around the leaders to be in front on the home bend.
Power And Glory roared away from Lakeview Emily to win by three lengths in 29.23, .05sec inside his personal best Wentworth Park 520m figures.
Before the race, Ken Burnett wanted Power And Glory drawn in the middle to the outside of the track, but when he drew box five in his semi-final, he declared he was banking on qualifying for the final and then getting seven or eight in the $300,000 event.
Power And Glory
Burnett will now be hoping for the black or pink rug for Power And Glory in Saturday night's final but Frank Hurst, trainer of Saturday's second fastest semi-final winner, Good Odds Cobber, said: "My dog won from box eight tonight but in an Easter Egg final it is very hard to win from seven or eight.
"You will have eight top-class dogs charging into the first turn together, and if your greyhound has seven or eight, he is likely to be trapped three or four wide on the bend.''
Good Odds Cobber had box eight in his semi-final on Saturday and led from the first turn, winning by just over two lengths from hot favourite Jungle Johnny in 29.35, just .14sec outside the quickest Wentworth Park time posted by Hurst's dog.
Frank Hurst has won a Million Dollar Chase with Good Odds Harada, but the Easter Egg has eluded him as he finished third with Fancy Mandy in 2010 and second with Good Odds Cash in 2022.
Good Odds Cobber
"Fancy Mandy was a hot favourite and was desperately unlucky when third to Cosmic Rumble,'' Hurst said.
"Then Good Odds Cash chased home She's A Pearl, so I have been preparing Good Odds Cobber for this, since the beginning of the year, it's a race I've always wanted to win.''
On Saturday night Jungle Johnny was, as expected, slow to move but was a clear third going through the catching pen and was second behind Good Odds Cobber on the back straight.
But Jungle Johnny's second placing gives Sydney trainer Mark Gatt two Golden Easter Egg finalists as his kennelmate Reality Best qualified after finishing second, beaten three lengths, by Taormina in his semi-final.
Taormina began brilliantly from box five and wasn't headed, stopping the clock at a personal best 29.44 and giving trainer Jodie Lord, who won the 2022 Egg final with She's A Pearl, a 2025 finalist.
Rarely is a group final held at Wentworth Park without the irrepressible Minnie Finn having a starter, and the Cranebrook trainer secured a 2025 Easter Egg finalist when her grand campaigner Gets Late Early stormed home to beat the Jason Mackay-prepared Kisses For Gran in a 29.84 semi.
While the Easter Egg semi-finals went pretty much according to script, there was a major upset in Saturday's first heat of the group one Farrell's Association Cup, with fastest qualifying time being posted by I'm Sally, an $11 outsider.
I'm Sally, trained at Cowra by Rebecca Edenborough, was having her first start for a month but led all the way in 41.84.
After the race Edenborough's partner, fellow trainer Rod McDonald, said: "Bec gave I'm Sally a trial at Young last week and she went two tenths faster than she had gone there before she won at Wenty in 42.25 on March 1.
"So I'm Sally's smart time tonight didn't really surprise us.''
Edenborough said: "I'm Sally just loves Wentworth Park and has now had six races there for four wins and two placings.
"When we get her out of her kennel at 1.30pm, she knows she is headed for a long car trip and that means she is going to her favourite place, Wenty Park!''
Dual Million Dollar Chase winning trainer Peter Lagogiane is the caretaker trainer of WA greyhound Max Capacity, and that dog was an impressive winner of his heat of the Association Cup in 41.91.
Early favourite for next Saturday night's $75,000 Cup final Late Night News came from third early to win her heat by four lengths in 41.95, taking her Wentworth Park 720m tally to six wins from seven appearances.
Slowest of the four Cup heats was the 42.15 recorded by SA-trained Apilla, but she could be a big improver in the final.
After the race, her trainer Damien Smith said: "She had never seen the track before tonight, and in fact she was the first starter I have ever had at Wentworth Park.
"She does not always begin well, but she got away reasonably tonight and I think she looked a bit lost as she got wide on the first turn.''
But Apilla, after being fourth early, eventually railed into third position and charged home along the fence, grabbing the lead at the top of the straight.
