Group One Brisbane Cup Heats Tonight At Albion Park

Written By Anthony Millican, Brisbane Greyhound Racing Correspondent Thursday 3rd December 2009

Australia’s top sprinters will ascend on Albion Park tonight in a bid to pick up Group One glory and a spot in the $55,000 to the winner Sky Racing Brisbane Cup Final.

It will be a clash of the elite versus the Albion Park specialists in the five heats of the flagship race of the Brisbane Summer Carnival.

In Heat One, Kel Greenough’s triple Group One winning bitch Cindeen Shelby should start favourite jumping from box four.

So far Cindeen Shelby has won the Crown Classic, Top Gun and Paws of Thunder and will be looking to snag her first win of three starts at the Creek, with her last effort a fourth behind Trew Millions in the curtain closer of the Winter Carnival, the Group One Winter Carnival Cup.

However, top Brisbane performer Black Attack should come out firing and may cause an upset after winning magnificently last week with a first section of 5.72 and jumping from box one tonight.

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In Heat Two, you will find better value among runners with National Sprint Champion Dashing Corsair taking on Dyna Forte, Robo Rapture and Bogie Ace.

Dashing Corsair has had an average run of late interstate, however a return home to Brisbane should see him feeling more comfortable and box three should suit.

However, Graeme Bate’s top performer Dyna Forte is sure to be up there at the start showing great Albion Park ability to finish third in the Winter Carnival Cup in July and consistently racing against some of the nation’s best in Victoria.

Tony Brett’s emerging chaser Robo Raptor has drawn the lucky red and will be hoping to add another win to his five starts for three wins and one second.

The impeccably-bred Bogie Ace should not be left out either, despite the awkward box six draw, having run 30.00 in Brisbane last year.

Another showdown of top performers will take place in Heat Three with Derby specialist High Earner jumping from box two.

High Earner, trained by Christine Robartson, knows how to win in Brisbane\ and boasts a blistering best time of 29.76 from earlier in the year. High Earner also won the Brandons Queensland Derby at the Winter Carnival in June.

Tony Brett’s top chaser Bogie Bomber will be a big threat in this race having cut his teeth on the Brisbane track and showing he has what it takes with a best win in August under 30 seconds.

Ron Ball’s Mr Metz is a ranked outsider in this also. After showing strong abilities at Capalaba and a fortnight ago in Brisbane, he failed to run out the 520m last week in the Young Guns Final.

Heat Four will feature the dog on everyone’s lips after last week’s Melbourne Cup win, Lord Ducal.

The Jon Roberts-trained star beat a top field in Australia’s richest greyhound race winning by a solid two and a half lengths. While it is his first start in Brisbane, and jumping from box four, the crowd will be expecting big things.

Other chances in this heat include box one’s Vociferous, who has been searching for winning form in recent starts but has shown he is definitely more than capable going on his five wins of eight starts on the track.

The last heat of the night will be a real test of track experience versus southern times, with NSW country dominator Magic Albert taking on several Albion Park Best Eight regulars.

Mighty Albert has shown tremendous form down south, particularly in the Country Challenge where he won the Lithgow Final.

But he will need to pull out all his speed in his first start on the Brisbane track, with Margaret Quarrell’s honest chaser Premier Chief, and Tony Brett’s quick bitch Velocity Force, sure to contest.

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