Mepunga Smokey trialled brilliantly in preparation for tackling Thursday night's third Masters Meteor heat at Wentworth Park - clocking 29.45 for the 520m despite a delayed trip from Melbourne to Sydney.
Victorian trainer Jeff Britton sent Mepunga Smokey to Sydney trainer Alan Proctor, but flight delays meant the trip took longer than it usually would.
After arriving, Proctor took Mepunga Smokey to Wentworth Park and was stunned by the resulting trial.
"I could not believe Mepunga Smokey was able to not only run 29.45, but to reel off splits of 5.46, 13.76 and 17.82 and then run home in 11.63,” Proctor said.
"He is just a great old dog, he has had 23 wins and 21 placings from 74 starts and earned $294,000."
"After his last race, at The Meadows on September 20, Jeff was disappointed with his unplaced performance and asked me what I thought of the run.
"I told him Mepunga Smokey had looked like a tired dog and Jeff agreed so he freshened him up completely with the Masters Meteor heats on Thursday in mind.
"So he virtually did nothing at all with Mepunga Smokey until he had that trial at Wentworth Park last week.''
Mepunga Smokey's third and final heat of the Meteor is unquestionably far and away the strongest of the heats.
Ray Webster, trainer of crack NSW veteran Father Rick, a winner of 38 from 109 starts, summed it up with: "Wow, they certainly have not done us any favours!
"There are several M2 and M3 dogs in the other heats, but the third heat is full of top notchers.
"Father Rick has drawn box one, but that's no consolation because he is not suited in that box.
"He has won only two of his 10 races from that draw because Father Rick needs room for the first 50m and he doesn't seem to get that off the rails box.
"Father Rick was not raced since being beaten in a photo finish in 29.81 at Wentworth Park on September 20 but has been trialling as good as ever up the straight at Appin.''
Michelle Sultana, who has trained the winners of the past two Master Meteor finals, Adhana Rico last year and Fernando Hunter in 2023, has the well performed Aston Luciano in box eight in heat three.
Aston Luciano has had three wins and three placings while wearing the pink rug and made the pace, clocking a slick first split of 5.42, when second to Inconspicuous over 520m at Wentworth Park in September last year.
"The wider she draws, the better she likes it, so I'm delighted seeing her in box six,'' Moore said.
"Shake It Off had a couple of races at Wentworth Park in May and finished fifth both times, but she is going a lot better now.
"After her last Sydney campaign, I discovered she had a chipped bone in a leg so she was below her best.
"She has won her past five races in Victoria and has been running quick early splits over 595m at Sandown and 600m at The Meadows.
"I'm just glad she missed being in heat three on Thursday night!''
Thursday night also features four heats of the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase Maiden, which was won last year by the Sonia Davis-trained Shaula in race record time of 29.33.
The safest bet of Thursday night should be the Jason Magri-trained Robert Keeping, who has box one in the third and fourth grade Mark Hughes Foundation Stakes, 520m.
Robert Keeping's best Wentworth Park 520m time of 29.38 is clearly the quickest in this six dog field and he was far from disgraced when fourth, beaten under three lengths, in Zipping Dekkers' fast 29.57 Million Dollar Chase qualifier at Wentworth Park last Saturday night.
