Hometown hero Dr. Tucker will spearhead William McMahon’s representation in Sunday night’s heats of the inaugural The Horizon (440m) at Sale.
Carrying a winner’s purse of $25,000, The Horizon is a lucrative new addition to the Sale Greyhound Racing Club’s feature race calendar and the four heats have attracted star quality, headlined by Group 2 Ballarat and Shepparton Cups hero Ferdinand Boy.
“It’s always good to have prizemoney!” astute local trainer William McMahon quipped.
“The fields for the heats are very good.”
Leading the home-track contingent will be Darriman-based McMahon’s classy sprinter Dr. Tucker, winner of 11 of his 19 starts, highlighted by the Group 3 Great Chase last October.
Dr. Tucker, a son of McMahon’s former classy sprinter Bernardo, is on the comeback trail after being sidelined for five months with a fractured hock but he’s returned with a bang, winning his last two starts at Healesville (18.84sec) and Warragul (22.43sec) in fast time.
“His run at Warragul on Tuesday night was super,” McMahon said.
“He’d never been there before and took on the track record-holder (Paua Of Oscar) and beat him. He can’t do any more than that.
“It was basically his first circle run since coming back and he busted himself early, which is why he compounded a bit, but I was very happy with him.
“He’s had 19 starts and he’s only $450 short of $100,000 in prizemoney. I’d like a kennel-full of them!”
WATCH: Dr. Tucker (1) – at only his third start back from a five-month layoff – holds off equal 400m TR holder Paua Of Oscar (4) at Warragul.
Dr. Tucker has drawn box seven in the red-hot fourth and final heat, where his opposition includes Destruction (10 wins from 19 starts), Interrogate (eight from 24), Lots Of Chatter (23 from 67), Massimo (10 from 20) and Run Baba Run (22 from 114).
“I broke the eight (Run Baba Run) in and she’s going to be my nemesis,” McMahon said.
“She’s like a scalded cat out of the cans and wants to come down but Dr. Tucker’s got his chance.
“You’ve also got Destruction off the red, Interrogate – Jason Thompson is always hard to beat, Lots Of Chatter, and Massimo is underrated.
“It’s a super race. If you put Ferdinand Boy (Heat 3) and Dream Wizard (Heat 1) in there it would be the final.”
McMahon’s other contenders are Dr. Xander (Heat1), trained by daughter Kimberley, Dr. Madison (Heat 2), a litter sister to Dr. Tucker, and Berdeen and Dr. Carmel (Heat 3).
“Dr. Tucker is our best chance by far but in saying that you can never underestimate ‘Madison’,” McMahon said.
“She’s not a real circle dog and the best she could run would be 24.80sec but the thing with her is that she’s going to lead and I like leaders!”
McMahon is spreading his feature race wings in coming days.
Zachary, another son of Bernardo, is lining up in Sunday afternoon’s Healesville Derby final, while Dr. Knuckles and Harrigan are chasing the $10,300 first prizemoney in Tuesday night’s rich Vic Bred Grade 5 final at Warragul.
