Scotch primed to sizzle
AUSTRALIA’S fastest greyhound Hooked on Scotch will attempt to add the Ladbrokes Hobart Thousand to his growing list of Group 1 wins when he steps out in a heat of the series over 461 metres at Elwick tonight.
The Jason Thompsontrained dog will tackle the second of five heats at Elwick tonight and bookmakers have him at a very short price of $1.12 to win his way through to next week’s final.
Thompson, who is Victoria’s top trainer, also has the very promising Flynn engaged in the first heat (race 4) and he too will start a short-price favourite with bookmakers who rate him a $1.35 chance from box eight. Hooked on Scotch will wear the blue vest but Thompson says that is ideal for his kennel star.
“I would prefer Hooked on Scotch to start from a middle box, so four is a good result for him,” Thompson said. “I targeted this race for Hooked on Scotch some time back bebut cause it (Hobart Thousand) is a race every trainer wants to win because it is the longest running Group 1 race in the country.” “Hooked on Scotch is in top form and five of his 10 wins have been feature races.
Hooked on Scotch comes off a third in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Sandown two weeks ago after winning his heat in a track record-breaking 28.94 over 515 metres.
Flynn also won his way into the Melbourne Cup final and while he boasts more experience with 12 wins from 25 starts, he has yet to, produce times as quick as his kennel mate. Flynn is well drawn in box eight in his heat with another of the five Victorian entries he’s For Me on his inside (7). “It would be great to get both of my dogs through to the final but I’ll take one, because the locals are very smart and it won’t be easy to snare a berth in the final.”
He’s For Me is from the Jeffrey Britton kennel at Anakie but it is the kennel mate Grey Ghost that is the best chance to win through to the final.
Britton trialled both of his dogs on the Elwick track last Saturday and Grey Ghost gave He’s For Me two lengths start ran over the top of him to win by three lengths and stopped the clock at 26 seconds. But Grey Ghost drew the short straw when he landed in Hooked On Scotch’s heat. The remaining interstate invader Tuggerlong Tonk, from the Samantha Grenfell kennel, trialled solo over 461m last week, hitting the ground running to clock 25.74 at his first look at the track.
The Tasmanian entries boast a lot of class this year with the Ted Medhursttrained litter brothers Stanley Gordon (My Bro Fabio-Broadway Miss) and Raging Ralston expected to make the final.