Graeme Bate has the hopes of Victoria on his shoulders in this Saturday night’s Group 1 Paws of Thunder final.

The Bate-trained Allen Harper and Allen Hertz were two of the four semi-final winners last Saturday night, and the only two Victorian-trained greyhounds to make the $100,000 to-the-winner Paws of Thunder final.

But the champion Lara trainer is no stranger to pressure, as he boasts a list of Group 1 wins as long as his arm.
  
Bate’s record in feature races at Wentworth Park this year has been extraordinary, including a victory in Australia’s richest race, the $250,000 to-the-winner Goldern Easter Egg and training the Trifecta in the Group 2 Ladie’s Bracelet.
   

UPSET AT THE MEADOWS The brilliant Bling It On was fifth in the line of betting in last Saturday night’s Stayers Cup at The Meadows, but that counted for little as he scored an easy eight lengths win on the way to a $15,000 first prize. The John Westerlo-trained Bling It On paid $10.30, which in hindsight was over the odds as there has never been a question about his ability or his preference for inside draws. RELATED CONTENT OVER IN BLING OF AN EYE   Results below…