Hatrick Raceway PHOTO/FILE
TWO RIPPER 520m $10,000 finals will be contested at Hatrick this evening.
A pair of heats for the Absolutely Electrical Wanganui Oaks and the Laser Plumbing Wanganui Derby decided the eight greyhounds who will contest these finals.
The Oaks is first up (Race 9, 8.16pm) where the Dave and Jean Fahey-trained Opawa Shackley continued with her consistent run of current form when delivering her on-the-pace 30.31s heat win.
The warm favourite must do everything right when stepping from trap-six, because drawn on her immediate inner is the fastest heat winner Cawbourne Clover from the Matt Roberts kennels.
She has plenty of up-size about her as seen by taking control of her heat when racing into the final turn and skipping clear for her 30.28s heat win.
Her kennelmate Cawbourne Midget was run down by Cawbourne Clover.
As seen then Cawbourne Midget owns sufficient early pace to make things interesting for a long way.
The Lisa Ahern-prepared Sheer Miss vied for the pace with Opawa Shackley in her heat before she yielded by a three-length margin.
She is another who brings early pace into this event.
Opawa Val from the Fahey kennels has a high private reputation and she gamely stuck to her task when seen kicking on for her 7.75 length heat third to Cawbourne Clover.
Her improved two-trap draw can assist her as can the one-trap which has been allocated the Ahern prepared Heart You.
She gamely chased after the pace-setters when delivering her six length heat third to Opawa Shackley.
The timer couldn't separate the two Wanganui Derby (Race 10, 8.44pm) heat winners with both Arctic Action and Born To Boom clocking swift 30.04s times.
The Jason Dunn trained Born To Boom quickly pushed up to track the pace-making Cawbourne Crouch.
It took virtually the entire race distance for this talented youngster to grind down the pacemaker, which he achieved for victory by the narrowest of margins.
Equaling that time was Arctic Action from the Fahey kennels when he gamely chased after the pace-setting Sedgebrook Magic.
He resolutely stuck to his task, resulting in him claiming his heat victory by a 3.75 length margin.
You may as well make it three greyhounds who clocked 30.04s as the Roberts-trained Cawbourne Crouch led for 519m before being out-bobbed on the line by Born To Boom.
Sedgebrook Magic took full advantage of his one-trap draw for local trainer Freddy Kite bounding away quickly.
It is that asset which he must use after exiting from trap-seven. There was a couple of tidy efforts in behind those placed runners.
Included was the northern-trained James Black and Alisha Steele-trained Joe Joe.
He stuck to the rail after leaping from trap-one and he pressed on stoutly for his 2.5 length heat third to Born To Boom.
He benefits by drawing that trap again.
It was a massive effort by the Gary Cleeve-trained Know Decision to claim his final field position.
He was forced wide when rounding the first turn, settling a fair margin behind the pace.
Know Decision improved to rush into fourth, 6.5 lengths behind Born To Boom.