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Group 3 Golden Ticket preview

20 January 2021

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By Jordan Gerrans

A direct path to the Group 1 Gold Bullion goes on the line this Thursday night at Albion Park in the final of Group 3 Golden Ticket.

Four high quality match races will be run, with the quickest time winning the Golden Ticket to the Group 1 Gold Bullion final over 520m next month.

Final placings will be determined by the overall run times from fastest to slowest across the four match races to be contested.

They have come from far and wide for a place in the Group 1, with Sandgroper star Tommy Shelby among the eight that will be on show this Thursday as well as many local Queensland hopes.

Sentenced is the favourite to nab the Golden Ticket, a $2.50 hope with the TAB, with Tommy Shelby, What A Debacle and Freida Las Vegas not far behind in the market – all either $4 or under.

The Golden Ticket winner from Thursday evening plus seven runners from the heats progress to the Group 1 Gold Bullion final, with $150,000 going to the winner of the Group 1 showpiece.

Click here to see the TAB fixed odds for the Group 3 Golden Ticket. 

 

Match race analysis:

Match 1 - 9.03pm: Speranza (Box 1) vs Frieda Las Vegas (Box 3)

The first match up features two greyhounds known more for their strength than early speed. It should be a competitive run to the first turn with Speranza aiming to hold the front from the inside draw. He has clocked a personal best of 29.69 around Albion Park which would see him competitive if he can lead early. Versatile staying bitch Frieda Las Vegas is known for her withering finishing burst and is perfectly suited to the match race format.

The Brian Baker-trained Speranza is the outsider in the market ($4 with the TAB) and will need to find some improvement from last week’s heats to spring an upset. Tony Zammit’s Frieda Las Vegas ($1.25) is expected to be hard to hold out here and is a chance to win the Golden Ticket with a clean run.

Click here to see the TAB fixed odds for Match Race 1. 

Speranza
Frieda Las Vegas

 

Match 2 - 9.15pm: Cheap Wine (Box 1) vs Crazy Cool (Box 3)

Experienced campaigner Cheap Wine has qualified for the Golden Ticket Final in a rich vein of form. She won a 5-dog Best 8 at Albion Park last month accounting for the likes of Magical Hope. On that occasion she pinged the lids in 5.52 and was never headed; a repeat sees her competitive here. She faces stiff competition in the form of emerging talent Crazy Cool who encountered some traffic in last week’s heats. With group form over the 600m she is another perfectly suited to the match race format and is not without a hope of claiming the Golden Ticket. 

Robert Jacobsen’s Crazy Cool is the shortest price of the evening to win her match-up, as short as $1.20 with the TAB.  The Kevin MacIntosh-trained Cheap Wine will start the outsider at $4 but was only beaten just under two lengths last start by WA champ Tommy Shelby.

Click here to see the TAB fixed odds for Match Race 2. 

Cheap Wine
Crazy Cool

 

Match 3 - 9.27pm: Magical Hope (Box 1) vs Tommy Shelby (Box 3)

Tommy Shelby has established himself as a megastar of Australian greyhound racing with third placings in both the Million Dollar Chase Final and the Melbourne Cup Final, and a Group 1 win in the Hobart Thousand Final. He should be nearing peak fitness for the Golden Ticket Final after rapid improvement was made from his pre-series trial to last week’s heats. His strength is early speed and will be looking to cross Magical Hope through the first and second sections. Whilst she may not have quite the same rap sheet as Tommy Shelby, Magical Hope is a rapid beginner herself and has the strength at the back end of the trip to make things interesting.

Despite Tommy Shelby’s ($1.70) sparkling record, Magical Hope is being given a big chance to cause an upset from the inside alley. Trained by Cyndie Elson, Magic Hope is $2.10 to triumph in this heat. 

Click here to see the TAB fixed odds for Match Race 3. 

Magical Hope
Tommy Shelby

 

Match 4 - 9.39pm: Sentenced (Box 1) vs What A Debacle (Box 3)

Queensland Hall Of Fame trainer Tony Brett produced the two fastest qualifiers in last week’s heats and is in the box seat to claim the Golden Ticket. What A Debacle was arguably the surprise packet of the heats where he recorded an elite back split of 11.41. A similar run this week would see him setting up a handy break early on the kennelmate. Sentenced is unbeaten at Albion Park and boasts victory in the Group 2 Queensland Derby Final amongst his five wins at the track. From the inside draw he will need to navigate to his preferred racing line in the middle of the track without losing any momentum. Watch out late as his finishing burst is lethal.    

Despite their equally scintillating qualifying times, Sentenced will go into match race 4 as the favourite at $1.40, with Brett’s other hopeful at $2.90.

Click here to see the TAB fixed odds for Match Race 4. 

Sentenced
What A Debacle