Who will scorch their way around the Pine Bowl and claim the 2024 Ladbrokes Nowra Puppy Classic? Here’s our preview of the final, including The Hounds tip to claim the Group 2 event…
The 2024 National Derby winner, History’s Coming, is out so Cawbourne Speech gets the start and the prized Box 1 alley to boot.
He’s a black dog out of Cawbourne Taber who ran second to surprise packet Imploding Mirage in the heats in a time of 29.98, but he looked to have the race in his keeping when leading by five lengths up the back straight.
He just fell in a hole late and was nabbed right on the post, but he certainly has the early pace to feature in the big speed battle anticipated in this contest.
The query is whether he’s strong enough to run out a 500m feature of this magnitude, especially after five goes at the distance for zero wins.
The first of three littermates going around for Minnie Finn and Both Bowers Ace had to sit outside the leader for much of his heat performance after showing good early pace to surge into the race from a tricky Box 5 draw.
Once he eventually found the front, he just drifted off the rail around the home turn and let Queen Linda drive up underneath him to finish in a time of 29.70.
Box 2 should certainly benefit him and as long as his brother, Poco Rico, doesn’t crash left, he should get a good run to the first turn.
Both Bowers Ace has been an incredibly consistent chaser since debuting in September last year, with his 38 starts garnering 10 wins and 22 placings. He hasn’t won since February 14 but he does have nine placings in his 11 starts since then.
He flew out in the heats to not only clock the fastest first section of any finalist (4.25) but also post the quickest heat win of 29.58.
Much like his siblings, Poco Rico has a decent winning strike rate through 39 starts (26%) and deserves favouritism in his first feature final after drawing near the fence.
He’s gone around at big double figure odds in four of his last five starts but the winners of those races all have pretty good pedigree. Embrace and Gets Late Early are both G1 winners, while Good Odds Cobber and Power And Glory finished first and third respectively in the recent New Sensation final.
This race is far easier than those assignments though and with experience on his side, as well as the aide of great early burn, Poco Rico could emulate her mother and lead all the way in this one.
It was a strong heat win to overpower the handy Both Bowers Ace in the final 50m and the time of 29.68 was the second quickest of any dog in the final.
Trained by David and Susan Sundstrom, Queen Linda has a bit of a tricky draw and would need to replicate that 4.29 split to the first mark if she is to feature in this final.
There’s so much pace drawn underneath her that it’s feasible she could be three and four wide through the first bend and we know that’s a tricky proposition for any dog to handle, let alone the youngest greyhound in the race.
Was a New Sensation finalist two weeks ago at Wentworth Park and despite finishing seventh behind Good Odds Cobber, you’d be hard pressed to find a better form reference in NSW at the moment.
Was involved in a messy heat but showed her trademark early speed to land in a handy position on the arm and avoid any trouble.
She looked to have the race in her keeping but much like many of the preliminaries, she was bloused late by her nemesis, Gets Late Early.
The pair have already met four times this year and on three occasions, Gets Late Early has won the race (including the G1 National Futurity), with Hurricane Reign finishing second in each of those events. Their other duel was in the Richmond Oaks heats where both finished behind Embrace.
The pair bump into each other once again in this final but Box 5 for Hurricane Reign makes it hard and if she doesn’t lead, I don’t know if she can win as she’s not the strongest dog to the line in the race.
Hurricane Reign is a daughter of Furious Not Fast and both greyhounds were Group 1 National Futurity finalists
As far as track and trip statistics go, Imploding Mirage is the standout.
The son of Keybow has had four runs at the Pine Bowl for three wins and a second, but he will certainly need to lower his personal best of 29.96 to make the podium in this event.
Hasn’t had a stack of luck at the box draw in his 26 career runs with only one Box 1 start, and has been given no favours here again with Box 6 looking tricky considering he’s probably the slowest dog to the first mark in the field.
I think his only chance of winning is being slow out, dragging himself across to the fence and sitting in behind the speed battle as they approach the first turn. If there’s any commotion through the catching pen, he could sneak up into a nice stalking position and suddenly find himself in the race.
Was massive odds in the heats ($71) and I imagine will be the outsider in a hot final field as well, but kudos to Mitch Conquest who is enjoying a pretty successful 2024 season so far.
The only Group 1 winner in the race and already has over $130,000 in prizemoney in her keeping after 11 wins from 32 career starts.
She’s been the most successful of the Flying Ricciardo x Poco Dorado litter so far (striking at 34%) but gee, Box 7 in a race full of pace is tough bickies.
If she replicates her 4.29 opening split in the final, she will be in this up to her neck as they head into the first bend. But it’s probably fair to assume she will be jostling with her four others for the lead at that point as well.
Has been racing in top grade company for a few months now so she should be toughened up and her last four runs before the series were behind Superstar Ethics, Embrace, Good Odds Cobber and Mackenna (red hot form).
She won the Futurity off the back of a flying opening section, and one feels she’ll need to replicate that if she’s to claim another feature race win.
Did a great job to run down a G1 winner in the heat in History’s Coming but would probably need to find a couple of lengths to win the Ladbrokes Nowra Puppy Classic.
That was the son of My Redeemer’s first race start on the track and just his third 520m effort so you’d think there might be some improvement left in him, but that upside is also negated by the tough Box 8 draw.
Congratulations to Aaron Williams who is enjoying a career best year so far with 11 winners at 21%, but with all bar one of Silvertree Fan’s race wins coming at Wagga Wagga, this looks a bridge too far with so much talent drawn underneath him.
