Canya Handle It is among the outsiders for Saturday's Mid North Coast Cup at Taree but his astute trainer Joe McFadyen thinks he has a great chance of giving him his third group race win.
McFadyen, whose greyhounds have qualified for three Golden Easter Egg finals, trained Nangar Jim to win the Temora and Maitland Cups, both group two finals.
Canya Handle It goes into Saturday's group three Taree race with a remarkably consistent 13 wins and 13 placings from 31 starts and $55,000 in earnings.
"There is a short run from the boxes to the first turn at Taree and from outside draws it is very hard to get across the dogs on the inside.'' McFadyen said.
"It is such a short run that if your dog clocks 3.95 to that point it is flying, yet 4.05 is terrible.”
"I train Canya Handle It for a group of people from Murrurundi and Scone, among them a football coach and a publican, while Jason Petta, who manages the syndicate, works in the mines.”
"Canya Handle It is only the second greyhound they have owned, and because their first dog, Canya Brew It, has won 15 races and nearly $67,000 prize money, they admit they have been blessed.''
McFadyen began training in 1999, following in the footsteps of his uncle Sid Lentholm, a hobby trainer who ran a roofing business.
Among Lentholm's employees was Dean Swain, who later went full-time into training greyhounds and won a Sydney trainers' premiership.
Shadow Assassin, a $10,00 bargain buy, has not even been placed at Wentworth Park but is set to target a major interstate event after notching his fifth straight win at Maitland on Monday night.
Trained at Cessnock by Blake Moroney for his neighbour Clayton Babic, Shadow Assassin led quickly to win over 400m on Monday in 22.20, not far outside his outstanding personal best Maitland 400m figures of 22.04.
"On Monday he veered hard left from box seven and got a check at the start, so I'd hate to think what he would have run only for that early bump.'' Moroney said later.
"His owner lives two doors away from me and I bought the dog on his behalf after being advised to do by Ian Hilditch.”
"Shadow Assassin is only the second greyhound Clayton Babic has raced but I was confident the dog would be a handy purchase.”
"Fellow trainer Ian Hilditch is my inspiration and guidance and when he suggested I buy this already performed dog for Clayton I didn't hesitate.”
"Heats of the Bendigo Cup are over 425m in September 25 with the final, worth $50,000 to the winner, on October 2, but I am also considering heading to Queensland for next month's Ipswich Derby over 457m at Q1 Lakeside.”
"Heats are on October 15 with the $30,000 to the winner final a week later.”
"My other option is the Young Star at Wentworth Park, with heats at Wentworth Park on October 10.
"Because of his wonderful form at Maitland, Shadow Assassin would be suited by the roomy Bendigo and Brisbane Lakeside tracks, he can also handle Wentworth Park.”
"He clocked a handy 24.37 in a post-to-post trial there at the beginning of his career.''
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