Hatrick feature has just six contenders

Cole’s Big Time Izzy favourite after no luck in her last outing

Six greyhounds have been drawn to contest the open class 520m event (race 7) at Hatrick this evening. A number of the usual Friday topclass attendees were engaged in racing at Cambridge yesterday and will be doing so again next Thursday where they’ll contest premier races during the high-profile delayed Waikato New Year meeting.

Big Time Izzy makes her return to racing here for Lisa Cole following her luckless last-start Cambridge 457m outing.

In her previous Hatrick 520m race she delivered a bold second in the Group 1 Spion Rose and a repeat of that effort should be sufficient for her to prevail this evening.

Kennelmate Simply Smooth is a proven competitive chaser around this circuit and she has drawn to feature from the two-trap here.

Bigtime Bruno and Bigtime Rod are a pair of vastly experienced greyhounds who remain competitive as they reach the twilight of their respective careers.

Adding intrigue to the field is the presence of the locally Bernie Mitchell-prepared Tuff’s My Mum who secured her open-class racing stripes via her strong, last-start Manawatu¯ 26.27s 457m win.

Somewhat surprisingly, she is making her Hatrick track debut outing in her 71st career assignment.

The field is completed by another local: Brian Marshy-trained Dapper Rapper. He has no option but to quickly push forward from his eighttrap draw here.

In the main open class 305m sprint (race 4), the Cole-trained Big Time Jonnie is poised to swoop from his eight-trap draw. He has returned to the post-race podium in all seven of his previous races (four wins) when sighted wearing the pink racing vest.

Kennelmate Big Time Gwyn dropped back in class last Friday and she struck straight away when delivering her 17.74s 305m win. She can handle her return into the openclass ranks from her handy two-trap.

Local trainer Wendy Kite will load away her charge, Waterloo Pink, into the ace-trap for her openclass debut sprint after she snatched her last-start C4 17.86s 305m win.

The Cole-prepared littermates, Bees And Birds and Giraffe Club, are consistent sprinters at this level and capable of snaring some of the stake.