Consigliere will attempt to become the first greyhound to win the New Sensation and group one Wheeler Kennels Golden Easter Egg double following his courageous success in Saturday night's group three final at Wentworth Park.
In the New Sensation, the Jodie Lord-trained Consigliere narrowly avoided being badly checked by the wide running Entertainer as they disputed the lead going into the first turn, before skipping away to a clear lead on the back straight.
Although he faded in the straight, Consigliere had just over a length to spare at the finish ahead of the Minnie Finn-trained Zipping Kayli, the baby of the field at just 21 months of age.
Back Tomorrow, a kennelmate of Zipping Kayli, was chasing the winner on the back straight and wound up third, one-and-a-half lengths away.
Consigliere covered the 520m in 29.44, not far outside the 29.31 race record set by Jungle Deuce in 2021.
Consigliere looked to have an awkward box eight draw on Saturday night but before the race Andy Lord, the trainer's husband, said: "He won't crash towards the rails and will handle the box okay so long as he begins cleanly.''
Lord's prediction was accurate, with Consigliere nailing the start and by running in a straight line, just managing to miss the wide running Entertainer on the first bend.
Team Lord will also have a strong Golden Easter Egg hope with Secret Bandit, who recorded her eighth Wentworth Park win in 18 appearances on Saturday night, stopping the clock at 29.41.
Maitland Cup winner Black Myth Wave looked every inch a Golden Easter Egg contender by notching his 22nd win in 56 starts on Saturday night.
Trained by Vic Sultana, Black Myth Wave led throughout to win easily in 29.41, .03sec quicker than Consigliere's New Sensation figures.
It was Black Myth Wave's eighth Wentworth Park victory, and continued the run of greyhound racing success being enjoyed by owner Vincent Sun, who bred Black Myth Wave from his brood bitch Sky Wave.
Sky Wave, among the first greyhounds Sun had raced, was also trained by Vic Sultana, and won 25 races for $172,000 in stakes, including success in the 2018 Nowra Puppy Classic.
Time honours over 520m on Saturday night were clearly with the Steve Fitch-trained group one Dapto Megastar winner, Eriza Sparkles, who led all the way in a sizzling 29.24.
Fitch already has the pre-post Easter Egg favourite Cumbria Jack in his kennels, so will go into next Saturday's heats with a powerful "second stringer" in Eriza Sparkles.
South coast trainer Ruth King will chase a third win in the group one Association Cup with Suribachi after that greyhound's impressive all-the-way win over the 720m Cup course at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Having only her second start after a spell, Suribachi, the 2025 Christmas Cheer winner at Wentworth Park, won Saturday's top grade race by two-and-a-half lengths from Glitzy Ethics and Power Squeeze in 42.06.
Those figures were .32sec outside Suribachi's personal best Wentworth Park 720m time posted in June last year.
Heats of the 720m Association Cup will be held at Wentworth Park on April 4 with the $75,000 to the winner final a week later.
King won the Association Cup final in 1996 with Groovy Dancer before preparing Flash Joan to win the same race five years later.
King recalled: "Groovy Dancer used to get a long way back in her races and I remember watching the final with her owner, the late Gary Ralph, and coming to the home bend she was so far behind he remarked 'she isn't going to win tonight.'
"I told him she was still capable of winning from there and she did, but Flash Joan, my 2001 winner, was the complete opposite, she was a brilliant beginner and a front-running stayer.
"I had won the group one Vic Peters Classic over 520m at Wentworth Park with her in 1999 so it was pretty special to win a pair of group ones over different distances with the same bitch.''
Showman Baz, who was first reserve for Saturday night's New Sensation after an unlucky second in Magic Bandit's heat, picked up a consolation prize for trainer John Smart with an impressive fifth grade win in a nippy 29.70.
Despite a mediocre getaway and a tendency to race in the middle of the track, Showman Baz took the lead entering the back straight and won comfortably, taking his tally to four wins and two seconds from just seven starts.
