GREYHOUNDS
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TRAINER Charmaine Roberts and partner Shane Stiff have high hopes for success with Zipping Rocco in heat two of the Centrebet Cyril Rowe Gold Plate series over 472 metres at Bulli tonight.
Four heats of the Group race will be decided leading into the $25,000 to the winner final on next Monday night, January 28.
The Slater x Navigator Miss black dog has had 11 career starts for seven wins and two seconds and prize money of more than $17,000.
According to Stiff he's the best dog the kennel has had "by far".
He broke his maiden status at Dawson Park in April last year and has gone from strength to strength.
Roberts and Stiff were at Bulli last week to trial their dog but he's no stranger to the Wollongong track having won there twice, Dubbo twice, Wentworth Park twice and once at The Meadows in Melbourne.
He was a last start fifth over 520m at Wentworth Park last Saturday week in a heat of the Paws of Thunder.
Zipping Bale has drawn heat two tonight and will start from box four.
Stiff has a high regard for the dog whelped in May 2010. His best time over the 472m is 26.49s at Bulli.
"He went real nice," Stiff said of the Bulli trial last Thursday morning.
"And that good he went disgraceful at Wentworth Park (when 5th), but prior to that he's been flying.
"If he goes any good at Bulli we'll probably take him to the Perth Cup."
Stiff said the times their dog has been running were unbelievable.
"Here at Dubbo he smashes the 300 post to post track record, the 400, the 500," he said.
"Then in October we took him down to The Meadows and he won over 525 in just a shade over 30 seconds, but then we noticed he suffered a slight tear in a back muscle and we thought he might have been finished.
"But we put him out in the paddock with a litter of pups for a couple of months and then gradually brought him back into work.
"He'd been trailing great at home here and at different tracks so we thought we would take him to the next level."
"But he was terribly underdone for the Wentworth Park run and will be improved by the race.
"At Bulli if he can show us he's back to his best when we'll look at the Perth trip."