Ladies Bracelet and Bob Payne Sprint Finals Set To Thrill
By Jeff Collerson
Miss Zig Zag only needs to regain her good box manners to take out Saturday night's $25,000 to the winner Evans & Son Jewellers Ladies Bracelet final at Wentworth Park.
After beginning brilliantly to win four races at Wentworth Park, Miss Zig Zag missed the jump when a luckless third there on April 19 and dwelt again at box rise when a certainty beaten half head second in her heat.
She had boxes seven and six in those races and trainer Syd Swain is delighted with her box eight draw in Saturday night's Group 3 final.
"I love the draw,'' exclaimed Swain.
"She will run straight as a gun-barrel down the outside and she is super-fit now.
"People say you should never change training methods leading up to a big race but that's not always the case.
"I usually slip Miss Zig Zag four times a week but since her heat run Miss Zig Zag has had only one slip, spending the rest of the time on the walking machine.
"Because she is already fit she needed to be kept fresh.
"Previously when I worked her this way she came out and trialled 15.80, just outside the track record, over 280m at Wentworth Park.
"I want her to run those sort of sections on Saturday night.''
My Hepburn is among the most reliable beginners in training but while she jumped cleanly she could not quite get across to the fence from box eight in her heat and wound up a distant second to Nangar Nellie.
Trainer Sue Smith was concerned about My Hepburn's box eight draw last week and her greyhound is going to be much harder to beat from box two on Saturday night.
No finalist has a better Wentworth Park strike rate than Midnight Spritz, and Andy Lord, whose wife Jodie trains that greyhound, is content with their bitch's box five draw.
"Midnight Spritz doesn't mind being in the middle of the track and with plenty of pace underneath her she could get a nice cart into the first turn,'' Lord said.
With 15 Wentworth Park victories to her credit Embrace is the "winningest" Bracelet finalist but trainer Craig Chappelow concedes she has the job ahead.
"Box three is not much good for her because she doesn't like being pressured on her outside,'' Chappelow said.
"But I would dearly love to win the Bracelet because as a teenager one of my first greyhound racing memories was watching my uncle, Gary Chappelow's greyhound Sparkling Gleam, contesting a Bracelet final.''
Chappelow has far brighter prospects in Saturday's other Group 3 final, the Beast Unleashed Bob Payne Sprint.
In last week's heats Chappelow's dog Overflow Beau began fast from box one and led all the way for a comfortable win over odds-on favourite Zipping Megatron (box two) in 29.35, fastest time of the night.
Their boxes have been reversed on Saturday, with Zipping Megatron to wear the red rug while Overflow Beau will exit box two.
Craig Chappelow is not concerned about moving out to that draw, commenting: "On paper the draw she worked out well.
"I wasn't surprised Overflow Beau clocked 29.35 last week because in November I slipped him post-to-post at Wenty and he recorded 23.78, which equest to a run of 29.40 or better.
"If he jumps like he did last week there is no reason why he won't lead again, but I am naturally very wary of Zipping Megatron.
"He got crunched soon after the start last week and is an outstanding greyhound who is well drawn.''
Zipping Megatron's trainer Jason Magri said: "My dog had no luck in his heat and even got held up when going for a rails run leaving the back straight.
"There is not a lot of early pace in this final and from box one my bloke definitely gets his chance.''
Zipping Megatron's litter brother Zipping Optimise has also drawn box one on Saturday night and he should win the Ladbrokes Communities Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
"He is perfectly drawn and he had no luck when third, from box six, at Wentworth Park last Saturday,'' Magri said.
"After a slow getaway another dog fell back into his lap just as he was making a move at the first turn.''
