THE road to Golden Chase Sprint glory is heating up after a thrilling night of heats over 457 metres at Q1 Lakeside, with a mix of favourites saluting and emerging talent stamping their authority ahead of the semi-finals.
The opening heat set the tone for the evening, with Hara’s Oden ($3.90) producing a brilliant display of early speed.
Jumping cleanly from a wide box, he charged to the lead and never looked in danger, holding off the heavily backed Sironen Tiger ($1.30), who had to settle for second.
The Bernardo x Hara’s Penny chaser, trained by Jemma Daley, showed exactly why he’s one to watch – explosive out of the lids and powerful when given space. With five wins and five placings from 16 starts, Hara’s Oden is building a profile as a genuine contender.
Daley made it a race-to-race double in the second heat as short-priced favourite Hara’s Neo ($1.50) lived up to expectations. The Fernando Bale x Hara’s Betty bitch is in red-hot form, notching her 13th win from just 25 starts.
She controlled the race with authority.
The third heat saw another favourite salute, with Travis Elson’s Scrub’s Blue proving too strong.
Backcreek Butch took out the fourth heat and continues to impress as a greyhound on the rise. The Hooked On Scotch x Darryl’s Girl chaser now boasts four wins from nine starts and is beginning to put it all together at the right time of the carnival.
The final heat capped off the night with Travis Elson securing a second finalist, as Hope’s Jacky ($1.90) justified favouritism with a confident win.
With the heats now complete, attention turns to this Saturday night’s semi-finals, where the field for the $50,000 Golden Chase Sprint Final on April 11 will be decided.
If the heats are anything to go by, punters and racing fans alike can expect another high-speed showdown as the state’s best sprinters battle for a spot in the decider.
