Tickets Please's come-from-behind win in Friday night's 400m J&H Commercial Services Bronze Bullet at Maitland has convinced owner-trainer David Thornberry the greyhound is ready for a Wentworth Park campaign.
When Tickets Please came from third early to win the Bronze Bullet it was a consolation for the dog's elimination a week earlier from the 450m group two East Maitland Bowling Club Maitland Cup series, when he led to the home bend before finishing third.
Thornberry said: "Unfortunately the Cup heats came along a week too early for Tickets Please.
"He has only just recovered from a mysterious virus which sidelined him for six weeks but was going so well I decided to have a crack at the Cup.
"Tickets Please made the pace but was run down near the finish by Federal Bullet and Rema's Amethyst.'' (Both fast Wentworth Park 520m winners).
"I'm a great believer in giving dogs plenty of time and as he has got older Tickets Please has become stronger,'' Thornberry said.
"Early in his career Tickets Please won over 515m at The Gardens when he was being trained for me by Jason Mackay, although I must concede Wenty is probably a harder run than it is at the Newcastle track.''
Thornberry, a 74-year-old retired painting contractor, has not raced at Wentworth Park since winning twice with Shoshe in mid-2017.
"I have been involved with greyhounds all my life but after a marriage break-up I got out of the sport for several years,'' he said.
"I live in town at Orange and one day a neighbour, Darryl Prestwidge, who had dogs with Marty Hallinan, asked me to go to Richmond dogs with him.
"That got me interested again and then Alan Pringle, who trained the great bitch Promises Free, phoned me and said he had some unraced youngsters I might be interested in buying."
Promises Free won her first 14 races and was a 1982 NSW Greyhound of the Year finalist alongside Winifred Bale, champion Harold Park sprinter Bobby Rich, and the world's 732m record holder National Lee.
"I selected Tickets Please and got him for not much money, especially considering he had been educated and was ready to race.
"He still has improvement in him because his weight dropped sharply when he got that virus and I am still building him back up.
"I plan on giving Tickets Please a post-to-post trial at Wenty shortly and will take it from there.''
