Sooty Keeping | Charmaine Roberts | Feral Franky x Rema’s Jade
Fantastic heat winner in 29.81 and it was a bit of a slog outside My Boy Bingo for the majority of the trip. Boxed beautifully in the final (8/9 career record from the red)…as long as she jumps.
She’s also got a real affinity with Wenty Park having won nine of 14 starts at the venue. She’ll be sixth up from a layoff come Saturday and seemingly cherry ripe to either lead or sit on the tail of Taormina throughout the early stages.
Already a Group 1 Flying Amy winner, the NSW National Sprint champion and a Grou[ 2 Nowra Pup Classic and Richmond Oaks champion. This will be her 13th group final in 2025.
Taormina | Jodie Lord | Fernando Bale x Ritza Millie
Andy Lord said she was back before the heats and he was spot on. Taormina bounced out really well from a wide draw last Saturday and showed her trademark early pace to carve across to sit outside Laura Keeping.
Surprised a few by coming from just off the pace to round up the leader down the back straight, and then blew on by as they turned for home to clock an impressive 29.57 win.
Was dominant at Wenty Park mid-year with seven wins in a row and although she went off the boil a bit during the Million Dollar Chase carnival, she’s rounding back into form and is boxed to lead this field. Needs to lead to win in this company.
What a year it’s been for the Rowe family already. This guy is a Magic Maiden and Goulburn Cup winner and if he was to claim the families first ever Group 1 title, I reckon the waterworks will be out in full force.
Taw Galaxy jumped pretty well in his heat but was helped by a vacant alley on his inside. He ended up leading all the way to win in a time of 29.75 and claim his sixth victory in his last seven starts.
He ran a PB of 29.37 at Wenty Park on November 29 and should get a great run in this final behind Sooty Keeping and Taormina. His dad Wow almost claimed the race for the Matic family in 2022, running second to Jungle Deuce.
Laura Keeping | Charmaine Roberts | Fernando Bale x Ruby Keeping
It’s been a year of ups and downs for this girl and it seems fitting it ends where it began. After winning the Group 1 National Futurity final at Wentworth Park in January and running fifth in the Richmond Oaks decider in February, it looked like the world was her oyster.
But a combination of injury and bad luck derailed her Autumn and Winter months and the team were almost going to retire here mid-year to start life as a mother.
She had two months off between August and October before returning to the track at Dubbo and punching out a 29.35 performance. The kennel duly decided to race on and she was handy behind Taormina in the heats to run 29.75 and get through to the final.
Ladbrokes Price | $12
Laura Keeping has won more than $111,000 in prizemoney was just 25 career starts
Zipping Ariel | Courtney Barnes | Goodesy x Zipping Truvy
A quiet achiever in the back half of the year, this girl lines up in another rich feature after qualifying for the Million Dollar Chase and Brother Fox finals over the last few months.
She produced her best ever first section in the heats last weekend (5.43) and once she landed in front, she was always going to be hard to run down, fending off a good one in Paw Oswald to win in 29.68.
There have been no Box 5 winners of this race in recent history and her best chance might be to slightly miss it and get dragged into the contest on the back of the speedsters beneath her.
Winsome Jet | Minnie Finn | Tommy Shelby x Princess Kiwi
This guy has so much raw ability and he’s done a super job to make a Group 1 final after just 14 starts.
Minnie Finn has a knack of getting them out quick in big races and if he can land somewhere on speed through the bend (best first section of 5.39), he’s a dog that might be hard to catch high balling out in front.
He was very good in the heats behind Croydon (they gapped the rest by nine lengths) and he’s probably the dog with the most upside. Doesn’t turn two until February so will be a massive National Derby chance in the new year.
Ladbrokes Price | $6
Winsome Jet's litter has already won 49 of 136 starts
Summer Quinn | Peter Lagogiane | Fernando Bale x JS Makin Waves
Peter Lagogiane has won some big races from this alley - namely two MDC’s - so could we see a little bit of history repeating? I don’t think so but stranger things have happened.
Summer Quinn is another bitch who just dipped ever so slightly during the recent MDC campaign. She’s rounded back into form lately and only missed the frame once in her last 10 starts, but her efforts from wide draws in similar class races this year haven’t been great.
Her heat win was full of merit, knuckling down to beat home Destroying and Ritza Kris, but she need the inside and can’t see her getting across a field of this calibre.
Croydon | Lisa Delbridge | Feral Franky x Esclation
He’s only a lightly raced dog but gee it was a great Wenworth Park debut last week to win in a BON 29.55.
The track wasn’t as wet early in the program so the time partly stands out for that reason, but he had to do a fair bit of work to mow down Winsome Jet late in the run.
Box 2 certainly helped him in the heats but Box 8 is a different kettle of fish in a Group 1 final like this. In saying that, he’s never lost from the wide draw (3/3) and three of the last six winners of this race have been in the pink rug.
The Group 1 Ladbrokes Paul Wheeler final, worth $75,000 to the winner, will be run in Race 8 on the program at 9:54pm.
The Collerson the consolation to the Group 1 Paul Wheeler, will also be run in Race 6 (9:13pm) on the card, while the $15,000 Christmas Cheer for the stayers will go off in Race 7 (9:34pm).
All the action kicks off at Wentworth Park at 7:24pm this Saturday night.
