Fire On Ice has not won at Wentworth Park since August but according to trainer Mark Moroney is going as well as ever in preparation for Saturday night's second Golden Easter Egg Prelude.
The Prelude is a fifth grade event, which represents a massive drop in class for Fire On Ice who has competed against NSW's best greyhounds at her past dozen outings.
Fire On Ice was contesting a top grade race when she clocked a sizzling 29.64 winning at Wentworth Park on August 5 but has since been lightly raced after coming in season.
She won a heat of the Bathurst Cup on February 1, covering the 520m in 29.61, fastest time of the day, before finishing third in Zulu Warlord's 29.57 final four days later.
"I had my eye on Saturday night's fifth grade Easter Egg Preludes before the Bathurst series so it has worked out well,'' Fire On Ice's trainer Moroney said.
"She has box five on Saturday but that shouldn't worry her because she has run some blistering sectional times and has gone as quick as 5.32 to the first mark.
"I gave her a box-to-box trial at Wentworth Park before the Paws Of Thunder series in January and she produced a quick second split of 13.66.
"Fire On Ice is going just as well now as she was then so if she reproduces those kind of sections on Saturday night she should be hard to catch.''
Steel Pulse makes his debut for new trainer Michael Hardman in Saturday night's Congratulations Sydney Sixers Stakes, a 520m fifth grade, and will be fancied to win first-up.
Steel Pulse was in the kennels of his owner-breeder CHRIS O'Brien when runner-up at Wentworth Park on January 27 and when third to Mr Ticket in a tougher fifth grade there last Saturday.
"I have only had Steel Pulse for a week so don't know a lot about him,'' Hardman said.
"But he has settled in well and has quickly got into the routine of how I work my dogs.
"I approached CHRIS O'Brien at Wentworth Park last week asking him if he was interested in selling Steel Pulse to me.
"He said the dog wasn't for sale but he was happy to let me become his trainer.
"So that's a win-win situation for me, because I get to keep my own cash and now receive 50 per cent of any prizemoney Steel Pulse can win.
"I liked his run when he finished third at Wentworth Park last Saturday because he missed the jump but drove through hard to get into second spot in the middle stages.''
After being placed at Wentworth Park at the past two Saturday night meetings Along The Line can break through despite drawing box five in Saturday night's ontheclock.com.au Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Aston Excalibur, who has box one, will be a raging hot favourite but Along The Line, who is particularly strong at the end of 520m, is capable of running him down if he can find second position on the back straight.
Along The Line had box five in a similar race last week but ran out and collided at the start, losing valuable ground before rattling home from fifth on the back straight to beat all but Supersound and Rose Of Lachlan.
While he has the same box again, Along The Line should relish having a vacant box on his outside, giving him much needed room to move if he again wants to step to the right in the early stages.
