Crack Hunter Valley sprinter My Signature will go into tonight’s first heat of the Sportingbet Cyril Rowe Gold Plate without having had a run on the Bulli track.
My Signature has box one but faces a tough assignment as track specialist Natural Player has drawn two while evergreen top grader Ritza Ryder is in box six.
Harvey Sweetman, whose wife Lena trains My Signature, said this morning: "I had planned to trial My Signature at Bulli last Wednesday but it was too hot to make the long drive.
"Lena and I suffered enough with the heat without subjecting the dog to it a week before the race.
"My Signature had to be scratched after hurting himself in the yard on the morning of the Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup at Gosford early this month.
"I thought he only had to go around to win it so $40,000 went out the window.
"My Signature had won in 29.40 on a less than fast track at Gosford and trialled 29.44 there not long before he won his cup heat on New Year’s Eve so I expected him to run 29.20 in the final.
"He is fine again now but due to his lack of experience at Bulli I’m worried he could miss the kick tonight."
Natural Player, trained by Mark Wilcox, will be favourite for heat one after drawing well in box two.
Natural Player has won 13 of 16 starts and is unbeaten over tonight’s 472m trip.
Mark also has Natural Player’s litter brother Knocka’s Return in heat two in box seven and he will also start favourite.
Knocka’s Return has won four of eight Bulli 472m starts and has a fabulous record from wide draws.
He has won five of seven outings from box seven and has carried the pink rug to victory in three of four starts.
"There is nothing between Natural Player and Knocka’s Return as far as ability is concerned but they are different types," Mark said today.
"Natural Player is a good beginner and front runner while Knocka’s Return is a come home dog.
"These are terrific fields in the Gold Plate heats and just to make the final will be an achievement."
The third heat is arguably the lesser of the three qualifying races although Ay Grade, Spring Eddie, Gradence, Belfast Kaiser and Fast Archer are all class.
Ay Grade won first up at Buli in 26.33 in November and was a last start winner at Wentworth Park.
Although that was the dog’s third Wentworth Park win there is little doubt Ay Grade is better suited on one turn tracks like Bulli and Goulburn.
The Denice Warren-trained flyer won over 457m at Goulburn in a slick 25.85 on Christmas Eve and has trialled there in 25.42, a mere 0.10 wide of Awesome Hustler’s long standing track record.
Ay Grade has box four tonight but is not badly positioned as Gradence, box three, is a notoriously slow starter and Scout’s Gold, box five, is a wide runner.
