Maitland Greyhound Club couldn’t have written the script any better for the start of the Ladbrokes Maitland Future Stars Maiden series on Thursday with last year’s winner Sky Wave lining up in the world’s richest greyhound race at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
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The Future Stars is a launching pad for the state’s most talented youngsters and the Vic Sultana-trained daughter of Don’t Knocka Him and Ella Lezah has proven to be one of the best by clocking 23 wins and picking up nearly $122,00 in prizemoney in the past year.
Sky Wave gets her chance to go into the record books as one of Australian greyhound racing’s all-time greats if she can beat home a quality field and collect the $1 million first prize in the Million Dollar Chase grand final on Saturday.
Maitland Greyhound Club manager Tony Edmunds said the success of Sky Wave is what the Ladbrokes Future Stars Maiden is all about and it will be exciting to see if this year’s series can unearth another champion.
“We’ve had great interest from local, Sydney and interstate trainers during the past few weeks and if recent trial times are anything to go by we can expect some quality racing in the seven heats at the showground track on Thursday afternoon.”
Much interest will focus on Londonderry trainer Frank Hurst and his Collision-Solar Pak litter mates Good Odds Meghan, Good Odds Buddy and Good Odds Harada, in the fifth, sixth and seventh heats respectively, after strong trials at Maitland on Monday morning.
Good Odds Harada appears to be the pick of the litter after posting 22.65s in a Richmond 400m performance trial last month and track watchers say he only needs to step cleanly from box three to be a big chance to win his heat.
Gunning trainer Jodie Lord has a runner in each of the seven heats - Embossed, Famous Lee, Athletic Lee, Boss Three Fifty, Mr Cashway, Bland Purr, Aussie Muscle – and all have posted good performance trial times.
Heat five throws up an interesting clash with the Alan Proctor-trained Chevy Thor jumping from box one for Butterwick owner Jody Manuel. Chevy Thor clocked 22.63s in an impressive 400m performance trial at Maitland and comes up against another local in Blokey, from Kel Lean’s East Maitland kennels, which clocked 22.86s.
Keinbah trainer Natina Howard will be hoping her young dog Zipper Ray can overcome box four in heat six, in what appears to be an open race. Zipper Ray clocked 22.78s in a recent performance trial.
The clash of the day is likely to come in the last heat when Frank Hurst’s Good Odds Harada comes up against Emgrand Park from Peter Azzopardi’s Londonderry kennels and the Jodie Lord-trained Aussie Muscle.
Emgrand Park has the advantage of box one and a slick 22.47s performance trial at Maitland back in late September while Good Odds Harada looks slightly disadvantaged in box four box. Aussie Muscle trialled sensationally at Bulli in September with a 22.42s for the 400m and looks a definite danger from box seven.
The Ladbrokes Future Stars Maiden heats are races one to seven with the first race starting at 3.42pm.
The seven winners and fastest runner-up will progress to the $10,500 final on Thursday, October 25 with the winner to take home $7000.