Until recently trainer George Borg considered No More Partying preferred an outside draw but conceded he was happy seeing the former Victorian in box one in Saturday night's 520m GBOTA Welcome Stakes at Wentworth Park.
No More Partying won from box six at Wentworth Park on July 15 in 30.05 and recorded his best time at headquarters in clocking 30.02 from box seven when second to Zipper It Mate 72 hours later.
"He has only had box one twice for one win and looks to have a good draw on Saturday, because High Expectation, who has box two, ran off the track at the first turn when he had the same draw at Wentworth Park last month.
"Before No More Partying won at Wenty on July 15 I trialled him at Richmond and he went exceptionally well.
"I trialled him over the same 400m trip on Tuesday and he clocked exactly the same time so I expect him to go close to winning on Saturday.
"No More Partying's hang-up is that he is hit-or-miss at the start but I'm hoping box one can drag him out well on Saturday.''
Ebby Infrared won a heat of the group 1 Maturity Classic at The Meadows last month before finishing a creditable fifth in Simon Told Helen's final on July 25.
"He returned to my kennels a couple of days after the Maturity final and immediately seemed so happy to be home again,'' trainer Michael Eberand said.
"I took him to Wenty on Saturday night and gave him a post-to-post hand-slip and he clocked 24.15s.
"I was pleased with that time and from box three he has a good chance of being the pacemaker on Saturday.
"But I'm a realist and if Zipping Zeek is sitting behind Ebby Infrared on the back straight he will blow him away.''
Zipping Zeek is chasing his seventh win in a dozen Wentworth Park appearances and is fresh from a near record 29.35 master class win at headquarters last Saturday.
Zipping Zeek stunned even trainer Jason Magri by beginning brilliantly, something he had not done in 16 previous races, but even if the dog reverts to his customary mediocre box manners, he is going to be hard to hold out on Saturday.
While he has box four, Zipping Zeek has an empty box on his right and will relish the small field of seven.
Saturday's 720m Going To The Dogs Stakes will be a dress rehearsal for next Thursday night's NSW Distance Championship, with Pearl Of Tahiti (box one) taking on Blue Moon Rising (box three) and Just Terms (box seven).
Pearl Of Tahiti has won four of her five Wentworth Park 720m outings and while she has won just once in five starts from box one, she has a suitable draw on Saturday.
It's A Flirt, who has box two, races in the centre of the track so should give Pearl Of Tahiti a clear run to the crucial first bend.
Bit Flash was beaten a length from box two at Wentworth Park last Saturday but trainer Michael Clayton is happier seeing his dog drawn wide in box seven in this week's Ladbrokes Switch Stakes, 520m.
"Actually I was hoping to get box four or five because Bit Flash likes to run in the middle of the track but box seven is preferable to an inside alley,'' Clayton said.
"Bit Flash will go straight down the outside when he leaves the boxes and then drop onto the rails at the first turn.
"He likes to go around dogs, especially from the start to the first corner.
"Recently at Nowra he clocked a second split of 16.65 and the record is 16.61 so Bit Flash is going as well as ever.''
