Ritza Coen and Knight's Page, two of the leading lights in next month's TAB Million Dollar Chase, will launch their Wentworth Park campaigns for the October 9 semi-finals on Saturday night.
Ritza Coen has drawn box four in the 520m Where Else But Wenty Free-For-All while Knight's Page has box eight in the Ladbrokes Cash In Stakes, a 520m fourth and fifth grade.
Knight's Page and Ritza Coen have qualified for the eight Million Dollar Chase semi-finals and because they have not raced recently at WP their trainers are using Saturday's card to re-acquaint them with the big race venue.
Ritza Coen is the most improved greyhound in training and goes into Saturday night's race chasing his eighth successive win.
Among Ritza Coen's past seven victories have been five consecutive Wentworth Park successes, including a near record 29.49 on July 1 and a slick 29.66 at his most recent start on August 13.
"Because Ritza Coen had been up for quite a while I decided to give him a let-up before the Million Dollar Chase series got under way,'' trainer Mark Gatt said.
"There was not a thing wrong with him but I felt it would be asking too much of the dog to race him continuously at Wenty until October.
"But since I brought him back he has been trialling as well as he was when he won that string of races in July and August.
"Although he has box four on Saturday I am not too worried because he has only five rivals and the small field will suit Ritza Coen down to the ground.''
Knight's Page led from the first turn to win the Gosford regional final of the MDC on September 8 but has not raced at Wentworth Park since August 1.
The dog finished down the course at Maitland at his most recent outing but trainer Gayle Masterson is not concerned.
"He had no luck at all in that race and when I saw him getting badly checked my only thought was that he would come through unscathed,'' Masterson said.
"Knight's Page pulled up well and box eight should suit him on Saturday night because he likes to run in the middle of the track.
"I had intended bringing him back to Wenty on a Wednesday but discovered he would be top grade then but on a Saturday would be eligible for a fourth and fifth grade.
"When Knight's Page finished sixth in the Young Star Classic final at Wentworth Park on October 18 last year he hurt a stopper bone and a tendon in a toe.
"Since that happened I've found that when he has to pull up suddenly after trialling up the straight behind the drag lure it was putting pressure on those old injuries.
"That's why since I have brought him back I have just been free-galloping him at home, and that technique has been working well.''
