Superstar With Sights On The Egg

Peter Rodgers won last year's Golden Easter Egg with Simply Limelight and is already considering aiming for the 2024 version with his latest find Superstar Ethics.

The David Smith-owned Superstar Ethics resumed from a spell and was having only his ninth start when he won over 515m at Gosford last Tuesday in a blistering 29.15, not far away from Wow's 28.88 track record set in December 2020.

Trainer Peter Rodgers was hoping to tackle the New Sensation at the Golden Easter Egg carnival but Superstar Ethics, although lightly raced, is a September, 2021 whelping, so is three months too old for that Group 3 event.

"This dog is so good I don't think a Golden Easter Egg is beyond him,'' Rodgers said.

"Superstar Ethics got held up when he was trying to rail underneath Peter Lagogiane's greyhound Wild Sylvia on the back straight at Gosford, otherwise I reckon he would have run no worse than 29 flat.

"I have been going to Gosford since the new track was conceived and Superstar Ethics ran home in 12.38 on Tuesday, time I have never seen posted.''

Heats of the Golden Easter Egg will be held at Wentworth Park on March 30, with semi-finals on April 6 and the final, worth $350,000 to the winner, a week later.

Big kennels often land three winners at a meeting but Jade Murray, who has only four greyhounds in work, scored a winning treble at Gunnedah last Thursday.

Murray, best known to Wentworth Park fans in his role as handler of Susan Smith and John Miles' crack speedsters Vamoose and My Hepburn, won 340m races at Gunnedah with Phase Four in 20.03, Hurried, a big 35.7kg dog, in 19.78, and Ikigai, the star of his small team, in 19.52.

"That was my first treble,'' Murray remarked.

"I've been training since I was 16 and I'm now 40 and working full time with the dogs.

"Until two years ago I was employed by McDonald's but I gave that away when I began assisting John Miles and Susan Smith with their team.

"They recently presented me with a pup from the next litter to My Hepburn, so that is something I am really looking forward to racing.''

Murray is based in the Maitland suburb of Aberglassyn, where former leading trainers Jeff Jaeger and the late Noel Williams operated their kennels.

Valpolicella, owned by Sydney accountant Sandro Bechini, may be trained in Brisbane by Tony Zammit but will be tackling two of the biggest staying races in NSW in April and May.

The Group 1 winning star, who has become Australia's top long-distance performer, is being set for the Association Cup and Ladbrokes 715 double.

"Valpolicella is taking a well-earned break which is why she is not tackling the current Fanta Bale staying series,'' owner Bechini said.

"Tony Zammit is aiming her for the Association Cup and the 715 and will take the opportunity of the break from racing to give her a couple of trials at The Gardens, venue of the Ladbrokes 715.''

Heats of the Group 1 Association Cup will be run over 720m at Wentworth Park on April 6, with the $75,000 to the winner final a week later.

The Ladbrokes 715 final on May 4 carries a mammoth $500,000 first prizemoney.