Shot at NZ Cup qualification on the line

Direct entry into a Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup semifinal is at stake in this evenings feature Hatrick 520m event.

The Christchurch club has introduced preludes as the pathway to New Zealand's richest greyhound race, where the November 16 final at the Addington Raceway will be contested for a $100,000 stake.

This evening's Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup Prelude (Race 9) provides the first two finishers with an exemption from the November 2 first round of NZ Cup heats.

They, along with the first two finishers in three other NZ Cup preludes, will be seeded straight into the November 8 round of 520m semifinals.

Me Jane has flown through the grades since she crossed the Tasman.

Lisa Cole has trained her to win nine of her ten races over here, which includes all six of her Hatrick 520m races.

She made her open class debut last Friday which resulted in her dashing to an effortless 520m, 30.14s win.

Me Jane is poised to serve up a repeat dose this evening after jumping from trap six, especially with trap five being vacant.

Watch for the Bill Hodgson-prepared Nitehawk Rose to be sighted storming home late.

His charge is returning to Hatrick after enduring luckless recent Manawatu 457m races in strong fields.

The dual code trainer Peter Ferguson is travelling south from Cambridge with his Group 1 finalist Soaring Hawke.

She owns sufficient early pace which can see her spearing forward from trap eight to get onto the early pace just like she did when she chased after the smart Allegro Gun at this venue two races ago.

Speaking about big race exemptions the Cole trained Bigtime Paddy flew to Melbourne yesterday to take up the exemption from the Melbourne Cup preludes offered to him after his recent Waterloo Cup victory.

Bigtime Paddy will be seeded directly into a November 17 heats for the world's richest greyhound race - the A$600,000 TAB Melbourne Cup.

There will be eight heats with the heat winners only going forward to contest the rich 515m final the following week.

The Melbourne-based Sandown Park track isn't that dissimilar to the Hatrick circuit and the on-the-pace racing style owned by Bigtime Paddy suggests that by replicating his Hatrick 520m form, where he owns a searing 29.79s best 520m winning time, could see him at least being competitive over there.