Glen Gallon, the lone Queensland trained runner in the field, is the $3.50 favourite to win this Saturday night’s $215,000 invitational Top Gun at the Meadows in Melbourne.

            The Tony Brett trained dual group one winner has box one in the 525 metres race which is timed to start at 8.50 p.m. Queensland time.

            Don’t Knocka Him, Queensland owned by Reg Kay and trained in Melbourne by Jason Thompson, is the $4.50 second favourite, starting from box three.

            The lone New South Wales invited runner, Bye Bye Bucks, is a scratching after injuring an achilles tendon. Trainer Ken Lewis is devastated at the news.

            ‘’His achilles has been diagnosed as a grade one tear so he certainly won’t be back racing in the short term,’’ Lewis said.

            ‘’He just didn’t look right in a trial at the Meadows last week and we knew there was something wrong.’’

            Bye Bye Bucks had drawn box eight. The first reserve, David Bale for Graeme Bate, will now gain a start in the Top Gun and will jump from box eight unless there is another scratching from the race. If another greyhound is scratched, the names of David Bale and New South Wales sprinter Transcend Time will be drawn to determine which greyhound would start from each of the two vacated boxes.

            Graeme Bate joins Jason Thompson and Andrew Dailly as trainers with two runners in the Top Gun.

            First prize is $150,000, with second receiving $43,000 and third $21.500.

            Albion Park tonight stages four heats of the Molly Campbell Memorial Silver Dollars over 520 metres.

            The event is open to greyhounds up to 27 months of age, irrespective of grade.

            The Stephen Rolph trained Potsdam looks a worthy favourite from box eight in heat one. The son of El Galo and Sassy Sprite (pictured) followed an outstanding win in the John Young Memorial at Ipswich with a slick 30.01 victory at Albion Park ten days ago.

            Last week’s Albion Park Eric Thomson Memorial Maiden winner Regal Lauryn has box eight in heat two for owner Len Antonio and Glen Gallon’s trainer, Tony Brett.

            There’s a jackpot ‘’First Four’’ pool with Tattsbet of $25,000 on race seven which is the third heat of the Molly Campbell. That pool should swell to around $90,000. It’s an open field, with six of the eight runners having a win among their past four starts.

            Race nine is the fourth heat of the Molly Campbell. Each of the eight runners has a win in its past four starts.

            First and second in each heat tonight progress to the $10,000 final next Thursday night at Albion Park. As well as the prizemoney, the winner receives a set of mint condition silver dollar coins, presented by the Harris family. The coins increase in value if maintained in their original condition.

 

IPSWICH AUCTION THIS SATURDAY NIGHT
          The annual Rosewood Community Bank sponsored Magical Puppy Auction will be held at the Ipswich Showgrounds this Saturday night from 6 p.m,

            It’s the first time that the auction has been conducted on a Saturday night.

            There are 69 pups in the catalogue, all eligible for a $35,000 to the winner race series at Ipswich in April, 2014.

             The sale should conclude at about the time the Top Gun is run, and there will be facilities to bet on and watch all the Saturday night TAB and Sky covered meetings.

 

Story by Paul Dolan, photo by Rick O’Donnell