Off The Chart has produced incredibly fast sectional times in winning his heat and semi-final of the Wheeler Kennels Golden Easter Egg yet trainer Peter Presutto believes he is capable of going even quicker in Saturday night's $300,000 to the winner group one final at Wentworth Park.
Off The Chart has box five on Saturday night, the draw he had when he led quickly to win his Easter Egg heat in 29.48 and when he clocked 29.32 in his semi-final.
Peter Presutto said: "Off The Chart goes backwards and forwards in the boxes as soon as the lure begins its run-up to the start.
"In his Easter Egg heat and semi-final he was going backwards as the boxes open, but if he happens to be lunging forward when he is released he will run even quicker early splits.''
When he won his Easter Egg heat Off The Chart's second and third sectional times were 13.55 and 17.59, prompting dual Million Dollar Chase winning trainer Peter Lagogiane to comment: "Those figures are unheard of.''
Yet Off The Chart, despite again dwelling at box rise, trimmed those times to an amazing 13.54 and 17.55 in his semi-final.
Andy Lord, whose wife Jodie trains fastest semi-final winner He's A Pearl, who clocked 29.27 last week, believes their dog has a good draw in the Easter Egg final.
"We wanted He's A Pearl to be drawn outside Off The Chart because that dog has so much early speed and is a railer.
"So sitting in box six, immediately outside Off The Chart, looks perfect for He's A Pearl.
"Off The Chart might give He's A Pearl a great cart into the first turn.
"Jodie and I also have Classy Bandit in box two and Consigliere in box four in the Easter Egg and they are capable of winning it too.
Mepunga Lara has chased home Magpie Hector in the Fanta Bale Stayers final and in last week's Wests Macarthur Association Cup heat but she can turn the tables in Saturday night's group one Cup final.
Mepunga Lara, who had been fastest qualifier for the Fanta Bale and who won the group one WA Galaxy at Cannington on March 14, has box three in the Association Cup.
She has a great record from inside boxes, winning 10 of her 14 races from the one, two and three draws.
Her Victorian trainer Jeff Britton is a specialist with long-distance greyhounds, having won 720m group race finals at Wentworth Park with Dublin Bull in 2017, True Detective in 2020 and with Mepunga Ruby in 2022.
Magpie Hector had over four lengths to spare on Mepunga Ruby when he defeated her in last week's fastest Associaton Cup heat, but he secured a dream rails run from his tricky box seven draw with a lap to go.
Overflow Beau was having only his second 520m test since July last year when he edged out Both Bowers Ace in his heat last Saturday night and is likely to be improved.
The Craig Chappelow-trained dog has a great record from the rails alley, winning four of his seven assignments while wearing the red rug.
The Ambrosoli, traditionally the Golden Easter Egg consolation final, has thrown up a mouth-watering clash on Saturday between Paw Oswald in box one and Cumbria Jack in five.
Steve Fitch's Cumbria Jack is widely considered Australia's best greyhound and was desperately unlucky when third, from box six, in He's A Pearl's fastest Easter Egg heat last Saturday.
But he has drawn box five on Saturday while Paw Oswald, who won his Easter Egg heat in a flying 29.31, has box one.
The Mark Delbridge-trained Paw Oswald has won eight of his 15 races from box one and from the rails is capable of leading around the crucial first turn.
