Racing: Pair of class acts in Silver Collar but stayers lurk in the shadows

Greyhounds in action. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Can last Sunday's stunning track record breaking stayer Thrilling Quest back up that 46.08sec effort?

Can super star stayer Swift Fantasy retain her Hounds Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar title?

Is there another stayer lurking in the shadows of these two, ready to pounce?

The answers to those questions will be found at around 5.17pm tomorrow at the Manukau Stadium, when the canine marathon athletes complete their gruelling 779m chase after not only the $75,000 stake on offer at group one level, but also for the right to wear the Duke's donated solid silver collar.

The race has thrown up sensational performances and with it results, required by the stayers having to back up over this extreme journey just seven days later.

The effort by Thrilling Quest in her heat was breath-taking. Trainer Karen Walsh has a proven record of being able to produce stayers to deliver competitive back-up races. We saw that in 2006 when she produced Thrilling May to win the collar. So what about tomorrow?

"You don't know about the backing-up issue until they attempt it and, I guess, running a time like that has to have taken something out of her. I have no problems with her fitness, so I think she is in a position to repeat the dose," said Walsh.

"Quest has come through her heat very well and she, along with my others, has really pleased me since Sunday," she said, while adding about her other two qualifiers, "I was really pleased with Thrilling Reign's heat run. I expect her to run it out strongly here.

"Hopefully, Thrilling Frank can get an uninterrupted passage. It was a good effort by him to regather his momentum after an early check."

Okay, so what about crowd favourite Swift Fantasy?

The challenge she seems to be facing now is her continual habit of dropping out by a wide margin behind the field.

The task she leaves herself by doing so is enormous, with the younger stayers now capable of running swift times off the front.

That is a point not lost on trainer Steve Clark. "It doesn't matter how strong you are at the finish, you just can't hope to make up that amount of ground when they're running track record times off the front.

"Lady [kennel name] has done very well since Sunday. She has worked real strongly - in fact, she has had more work this week than ever before.

"I thought that was an enormous effort by her to get up and qualify - she wasn't in it until real late. She's very well, so I guess we have to wait until Sunday now," said Clark on Thursday.

Right, let's look into the background at who could upset this pair of class acts.

Thrilling Reign could, simply because she's a half-sister to the 2009 Silver Collar and former 779m track record holder Varvatos.

Don't underestimate the Dave and Jean Fahey-trained Opawa Patty here who has earned the "bridesmaid" tag after numerous group staying race minor placings. She won the other heat in 46.40secs.

"She was a box of birds after her heat. Hopefully, she can leap on to the pace and by doing so she will keep grinding away throughout. She will run out the trip strongly," said Dave Fahey.