In three weeks Still Available will be eligible for Masters races, but he is going well enough to topple seven much younger rivals in an all-age race on Saturday night at Wentworth Park.
Still Available has box two in the 520m Ladbrokes Quick Multi Stakes and trainer Garry Coles is enthusiastic about his charge dropping back to fifth grade on Saturday night.
At his latest appearance in this class, at Wentworth Park on October 25, Still Available led throughout to defeat the 2024 Young Star final winner My Pharaoh.
Last Saturday night Still Available was second to the home bend before finishing third behind Back Tomorrow and West Rock Casey in a fourth and fifth grade event.
"That was Still Available's first race for a fortnight so he was nice and fresh and while he showed good early speed he did tire a bit at the finish,'' trainer Garry Coles said.
"He is probably a couple of tenths away from the top graders now so I am looking forward to him becoming eligible for Masters races on Boxing Day.
"There are some good Masters dogs around at the moment but Still Available should acquit himself well.
"In the mean time he is going well enough to win Saturday's fifth grade, and I am confident without declaring him a good thing.''
Still Available clocked his best Wentworth Park 520m figures of 29.58 from box two, his draw on Saturday night, and has won 14 races at the track, while his seven rivals have scored a combined 21 Wentworth Park victories.
Lone Shark's first trial at Wentworth Park was poor and he finished last in a Million Dollar Chase semi-final at his race debut there on October 10 but the dog seems to have turned the corner after winning impressively there on November 27.
In that win, Lone Shark, trained at Forest Reefs, near Orange, by Derek Kerr, began brilliantly and crossed sharply to the rails from box seven to lead throughout in 29.99.
The dog has box four in Saturday night's Alan Weber's Final Lap 520m fifth grade, and Kerr said: "When he trialled slowly and ran last in a Million Dollar Chase semi I decided Lone Shark must not like Wentworth Park.
"But when he won over 457m at Temora on November 19 in a very quick 25.53 I decided to give him one more crack at Wenty and he led all the way.
"Lone Shark is a funny dog, he likes some tracks but dislikes others, but he possesses a lot of early pace and is strong at the end of 520m,'' Kerr said.
"I think he can improve a bit on his 29.99 time at Wentworth Park last week and the box is okay, although he will be happier if there is no other dog crowding him on his outside.''
Best boxed runner at Wentworth Park on Saturday night is arguably Night Agent, who has box one in the 520m fifth grade Wenty Leagues Stakes.
Night Agent not only has his preferred draw, but he looks set to get plenty of room in the charge to the first turn, courtesy of Smooth White, who has box two.
Smooth White is a fast dog but there is probably no other greyhound which runs so wide as the Betty Keene-trained winner of 10 races.
Gordon Sciberras, part-owner of the Vic Sultana-trained Night Agent, said: "He is perfectly drawn in box one and if the dog in box two is a wide runner that is all the better for our greyhound.
"Night Agent has finished fourth from boxes four and six at his past three starts but he is going as well as ever, as good as when he won from box two in 30.06 at Wentworth Park a month ago.
"All he has to do on Saturday night is to make full use of his ideal draw.''
Best Bet on Saturday should be the Jodie Lord-trained Secret Bandit, who began brilliantly for an all-the-way win in a nippy 29.80 at WP on November 13 and meets similar class in the Ladbrokes Mates Mode Pots 520m fifth grade.
Secret Bandit had box one in her last start win, posting a smart first split of 5.42, but that was no fluke as she had clocked first sections of 5.49 in two of her three previous Wentworth Park outings.
