Plenty of action and competition anticipated at Auckland Cup

With the rich Auckland Cup meeting wrapping up at Manukau on Sunday it is again the intermediate graded greyhounds who will provide the 520m racing highlights during this evening’s Hatrick meeting.

In fact, it has a Canterbury versus the locals feel about it as the C2/3 graded greyhounds are chasing after final field positions for next Friday’s $8,500 NZRS Graduation final.

They will contest three 520m heats (Races 4-6). There is a fair sprinkling of promising up-andcoming Canterbury trained chaser in all three heats.

It is expected to be local success in the first of the heats, which features the unbeaten exciting youngster Bigtime Rocco from the Lisa Cole kennels.

He made it seven straight race wins when he landed his tidy 26.05s Monday win over 457m.

Kennelmate Sub Eighteen owns early pace. Tuesday’s luckless Forbury Park runner Gem, along with Jinja Shake, are likely to provide the stiffest opposition.

Both of them are prepared from the powerful Canterbury-based Dave and Jean Fahey kennels. The Faheys will line up two rising chasing stars in the second heat.

Our Brad underlined his potential when he delivered his 30.18s Tuesday Addington win over 520m.

Kennelmate Sausage has an exciting future in front of him.

Bigtime Tank, who faces his toughest career test here, leads the Cole kennel representation.

Rowdy Ruby secures the draw advantage for local trainer Suzie Kite, via the ace trap.

Expect the action to unfold from out wide in the third heat. Coleproduced Bigtime Forest to win in a quick 25.97s over the Manawatu 457m trip on Monday.

Travelling north is the Faheyprepared Go Glow, after winning the Otago-hosted version of this $8,500 NZRS Graduation final over 545m on Tuesday. She will hop away from trap seven here.

Jinja Murphy is bringing tidy South Island form north with him for the Fahey’s and he’ll jump from trap two here.

Group 1 racing returns to Hatrick next Friday evening, where the stayers will contest the $30,000 Wanganui Distance over the 755m journey.

The Lisa Cole kennels hold a strong hand in both of the Group 1 finals that will be decided at the Manukau Stadium on Sunday afternoon. She qualified three greyhounds for the $90,000 Auckland Cup and they have drawn the inside three traps. Blazin’ Carter looms as her leading contender.

Foxton conditioner Angela Turnwald is chasing back to back Group 1 wins with Diddilee.

The sharp Hatrick Friday 305m sprinter Sir Duggie is all the rage to take out the $30,000 Railway Sprint over 318m for Cole.

Kennelmates Bigtime Pete and Bigtime Wendle both hold sound stake claims, while Idol Nifty can deliver a competitive sprint for Marcie Flipp.