Emma Pritchard
Three Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase Regional Heats were the feature events on a 12-race program hosted by the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club on September 17, with a number of prominent local trainers hopeful of qualifying their star sprinters in the lead up to the highly anticipated Million Dollar Chase on October 13 at Sydney’s Wentworth Park.
And it took track specialist Cash Master only 25.08 seconds to put his rivals on notice following a dominant victory in the first 450m heat of the night.
Starting the $1.40 favourite after opening in the market at $4, the red fawn dog trained by Robert Cooke showed plenty of pace from box 8, taking the lead inside the opening 100m and continuing to surge clear in the home straight, winning by five lengths from a gallant Super Shanks and Vigne Unleashed.
Another short priced favourite Jay Is Jay, trained by Selena Zammit, staked his claim with an impressive front running performance to win Heat 2 in 25.29 seconds from Albert’s Memory and Been Framed.
The Benjamin Ellis trained Esmay Nelly proved too strong in the third and final heat on the program, holding off a determined Master Class and Villante to win by a length in a time of 25.42 seconds after the race favourite Shipwreck struck trouble and fell inside the opening 150m.
The winners and runners-up in each heat, along with the next two fasted qualifiers, progressed to the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase Regional Final over 450m, to be run during the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club’s next race meeting on September 24.
Jay Is Jay will once again jump from the inside after drawing box 1 alongside Esmay Nelly in box 2.
Cash Master drew box 3, with Albert’s Memory and Super Shanks to jump from his outside after being allocated boxes 4 and 5 respectively.
Villante will jump from box 7 in between local trainer Sonia Kempshall’s contenders Master Class in box 6, and Vigne Unleashed in box 8.
Been Framed and Dustin Diesel are the first and second reserves.
The first three placegetters in the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase Regional Final will head to Wentworth Park and compete in the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase Semi Finals throughout the next few weeks.