Group 3 Golden Ticket preview

Match 2 - 9.15pm: Cheap Wine (Box 1) vs Crazy Cool (Box 3)

Experienced campaigner Cheap Wine has qualified for the Golden Ticket Final in a rich vein of form. She won a 5-dog Best 8 at Albion Park last month accounting for the likes of Magical Hope. On that occasion she pinged the lids in 5.52 and was never headed; a repeat sees her competitive here. She faces stiff competition in the form of emerging talent Crazy Cool who encountered some traffic in last week’s heats. With group form over the 600m she is another perfectly suited to the match race format and is not without a hope of claiming the Golden Ticket. 

Robert Jacobsen’s Crazy Cool is the shortest price of the evening to win her match-up, as short as $1.20 with the TAB.  The Kevin MacIntosh-trained Cheap Wine will start the outsider at $4 but was only beaten just under two lengths last start by WA champ Tommy Shelby.

Click here to see the TAB fixed odds for Match Race 2. 

Match 3 - 9.27pm: Magical Hope (Box 1) vs Tommy Shelby (Box 3)

Tommy Shelby has established himself as a megastar of Australian greyhound racing with third placings in both the Million Dollar Chase Final and the Melbourne Cup Final, and a Group 1 win in the Hobart Thousand Final. He should be nearing peak fitness for the Golden Ticket Final after rapid improvement was made from his pre-series trial to last week’s heats. His strength is early speed and will be looking to cross Magical Hope through the first and second sections. Whilst she may not have quite the same rap sheet as Tommy Shelby, Magical Hope is a rapid beginner herself and has the strength at the back end of the trip to make things interesting.

Despite Tommy Shelby’s ($1.70) sparkling record, Magical Hope is being given a big chance to cause an upset from the inside alley. Trained by Cyndie Elson, Magic Hope is $2.10 to triumph in this heat. 

Click here to see the TAB fixed odds for Match Race 3. 

Match 4 - 9.39pm: Sentenced (Box 1) vs What A Debacle (Box 3)

Queensland Hall Of Fame trainer Tony Brett produced the two fastest qualifiers in last week’s heats and is in the box seat to claim the Golden Ticket. What A Debacle was arguably the surprise packet of the heats where he recorded an elite back split of 11.41. A similar run this week would see him setting up a handy break early on the kennelmate. Sentenced is unbeaten at Albion Park and boasts victory in the Group 2 Queensland Derby Final amongst his five wins at the track. From the inside draw he will need to navigate to his preferred racing line in the middle of the track without losing any momentum. Watch out late as his finishing burst is lethal.    

Despite their equally scintillating qualifying times, Sentenced will go into match race 4 as the favourite at $1.40, with Brett’s other hopeful at $2.90.

Click here to see the TAB fixed odds for Match Race 4.