It's a daunting prospect for their rivals but Simon Told Helen, Who Told Stevie and Snags McKenzie, trainer David Burnett's three qualifiers in Saturday's Temora regional final of the TAB Million Dollar Chase, are tipped to be improved by their heat experience.
Simon Told Helen led quickly from box three to cover the 457m in near record time of 25.83, comfortably defeating his strong finishing kennelmate Snags McKenzie, who had drawn four.
Who Told Stevie came from box eight to finish third to local dogs Keenando and Got To Casino, one-and-a-half lengths away in 26.06.
"The courier got them home from Sunday's Temora races at 3.30am the next day but all pulled up well,'' Burnett said.
"Snags McKenzie was a bit flat but that was understandable as that race was his first 457m hit-out in quite a while.
"I was very happy with Simon Told Helen's run because that was his first win on a horseshoe-shaped track, in Victoria he has shown his best form on tighter courses.
"Box seven in the final looks good for him because Simon Told Helen can sometimes get it wrong at the start and the wide draw should keep him out of trouble.
"And Who Told Stevie is better suited in box three in the final than he was in his heat when he drew the extreme outside.
"The girl who handled Who Told Stevie said that from behind the starting boxes, she could see him continually veering left when he jumped.''
Burnett concedes the Wagga-trained Got To Casino will be hard to beat after drawing box one.
"From what I've seen of him Got To Casino can be a bit tardy out of the boxes but he has a big motor,'' Burnett said.
Got To Casino met with a check in the early stages of his heat and went to the line powerfully in tasting defeat at Temora for the first time.
Like all trainers Michelle Sultana would have preferred not to have her qualifiers Left Unsaid and Drink Moet drawn next to each other in Thursday's Dapto regional final of the TAB Million Dollar Chase but she is consoled somewhat by their positions.
"I am glad Left Unsaid, who has box four, has drawn inside Drink Moet, in five, because Left Unsaid has a little bit more early speed,'' Sultana said.
"In last week's heats Left Unsaid's first split was slightly quicker than Drink Moet's but for the second section Drink Moet was a fraction faster.
"I think Left Unsaid could be the improver in the final because she had never seen the Dapto track before the heats.''
Poppy Jack has not been tested beyond 440m but Goulburn's fastest TAB Million Dollar Chase heat winner should be capable of seeing out 520m if he gets to the semi-finals over that trip at Wentworth Park on October 9.
The Ruth Matic-trained Poppy Jack won his 440m heat last week in near record time of 24.50 and has box six in Friday's regional final.
"The box isn't great but Poppy Jack is usually a get out and go dog so I'm not too worried by the draw,'' Matic said.
"He is a real good little hard chasing dog and the only reason he has not been tried beyond 440m is that he had a lot of bone issues as a youngster and I didn't want to push him too hard early.
"On his run home times at Goulburn he should run 520m because when he won his heat last week he ran home in 10.85, just outside the fastest ever posted at the track.
"If Poppy Jack runs a place on Friday and gets to the semis at Wenty I can then step him up in distance but if he misses qualifying at Goulburn I plan on nominating him for the Bulli MDC heats over 472m on September 15.
