Devon Meadows bitch Hot Puzzle will be vying for her first Group One race win at Sandown Park tonight.By Paul Pickering
A TRIO of local greyhounds will be hoping to deny Queensland raider Queen Lauryn her first Group One victory in tonight’s Sapphire Crown final at Sandown Park.
The Queen last week confirmed her status as one of Australia’s most dynamic bitches with a searing heat run, but she will find stiff competition from Violet Crumble (trained by Stan Ralph at Tooradin), Proven Polly (Jason Thompson, Pearcedale) and Hot Puzzle (Paul Anderton, Devon Meadows).
Violet Crumble has drawn the inside box, while Proven Polly (box five) and Hot Puzzle (seven) will be hoping to cut across Queen Lauryn (two) on their passage to the first corner.
Hot Puzzle will be looking to atone for a luckless seventh-placing in the Group One Laurels final – her first top-tier hitout – at Sandown Park in May.
Trainer Paul Anderton gives her every chance.
“We’re definitely in the race,” he said. “There’s a couple of damn good dogs – Queen Lauryn is just a freak – but if my little girl gets her bum out in front it’ll be a long wait.”
Anderton, 55, has been a part of the greyhound caper for as long as he can remember, but he says the opportunity to win a Group One feature is still a bit daunting.
“I don’t get nervous with dogs and I very rarely get excited, but to win a big one like that turns men into mice,” he said.
Jason Thompson knows that feeling all too well. The reigning Australian Greyhound Trainer of the Year’s latest Group One triumph was with El Galo in the Topgun a fortnight ago and he will be looking to add a second Sapphire Crown to his trophy cabinet tonight.
His bitch, Proven Polly, has had some solid performances in Sydney in recent months, and the Thompson name will ensure she gets plenty of support from the punters.
Meanwhile, experienced Tooradin mentor Stan Ralph will be hoping Violet Crumble can continue her good form after taking out the recent Bill Collins Memorial.
When the odds were posted last week, Violet Crumble was installed as the $4.40 second favourite behind Queen Lauryn ($2.80), with Hot Puzzle at $5 and Proven Polly $11.
