Ritza Coen is entitled to be rated Sydney's most improved greyhound after setting the time standard in Saturday night's NSW Sprint Championship heats, shrugging off a slow start and coming from fourth on the back straight to win easily in 29.96s.
Ritza Gloria then gave trainer Mark Gatt a clean sweep of the Championship series, taking out heat two in 30.08s after nosing out Zipping Bram in a tight finish.
Gatt has the two fastest qualifiers for Thursday night's 520m final at Wentworth Park, while up-and-coming young trainer Michael Hardman will also have two starters.
Last year's Million Dollar Chase winner Good Odds Harada was runner-up to Ritza Coen and was unlucky not to finish closer than two-and-a-half lengths away as he was caught outside the wide running Nangar Kash in the early stages.
The draw favours Ritza Coen, and while trainer Frank Hurst was hoping for an inside draw with Good Odds Harada, there is not a lot of pace around him and it is worth remembering he has won six of his eight races from box seven.
Time honours for the Wentworth Park 520m trip on Saturday went with the George Borg-trained No More Partying, who led throughout from box one to win the opening event in 29.93s.
"He is a hit or miss beginner but he came out quickly tonight and that made the difference,'' Borg said later.
Long-established top trainer Sam Sultana's daughter Michelle has been enjoying a wonderful winning streak training Unison, and her sister Kristy went home a winner on Saturday when Flying Ricciardo led throughout at his 520m debut.
There wasn't a more impressive pair of wins on Saturday than the efforts of the Jason MACKAY-trained pair Nev's Gift, who won in 29.97, and Zipping Rambo, victorious in 30.54.
Zipping Rambo was a distant last going through the catching pen but sustained a long rails run to be third leaving the back straight before hitting the front at the top of the straight.
Nev's Gift was last to leave the boxes but swept around her rivals to lead turning for home and won by nearly three lengths.
"After winning two races Nev's Gift was attacked by another greyhound in the catching pen following a race,'' MACKAY explained later.
"She really got 'toweled' up and that incident destroyed her confidence because she went terrible at her next few runs.
"I gave her a change of surroundings, sending her up to the Northern Rivers where she was educated before bringing her back and gradually her confidence returned.
"Nev's Gift made full use of box eight tonight because she likes to run around her opponents, she is not comfortable going underneath them.''
And how about the old warrior Blue Moon Rising, who scored win number 43 at start number 135 in Saturday's 720m Free-For-All.
Blue Moon Rising settled in second spot and reached the lead on the home bend, winning by just over a length from Really Unreal, who, like the winner, is trained by the maestro, John Finn.
After the race Finn's wife Melinda said: "Blue Moon Rising is just an old marvel.
"People keep asking us when we are going to retire him and I always reply, when he runs last, last and last again.
"Really Unreal has become a really good bread-and-butter dog, but can't compare with her older half-brother Blue Moon Rising.''
