Anthony Azzopardi is ‘chasing’ back-to-back victories in the $70,335 Group 3 Great Chase (525m) at The Meadows on Wednesday afternoon, with joint favourite and fastest qualifier Pass The Buck.

After a scorching 29.67sec semi-final victory, Pass The Buck (box 3) shares Sportsbet’s favouritism for the community services-focused Great Chase (race 8, 1.35pm) at $2.40 with Jason Thompson’s Explicit (box 2).

Not two until December 14, Pass The Buck was on debut at The Meadows in his dominant all-the-way semi success last Wednesday, having also romped home in his heat of the 1-5 wins series at Bendigo over 500m, clocking a fast 27.77sec.

“Pass The Buck is really well-boxed, but I’m a bit worried about ‘the checks’ (Explicit).”

There are strong parallels with last year’s Great Chase victor, All Spritzed Up.

All Spritzed Up was also the fastest semi winner, running a fast 29.78sec, and then he too drew box 3 for the final, where he started $2.50 favourite and was victorious in 29.88sec.

While Pass The Buck, a Bernardo x On The Runway half-brother to Azzopardi’s 2022 G2 Shepparton Cup hero Substantial, went faster than All Spritzed Up in qualifying, the Rowsley trainer gives All Spritzed Up the nod as the quicker dog.

“Pass The Buck has the first section and he’s a sounder dog, but All Spritzed Up was faster overall,” Azzopardi said.

“But I’d take Pass The Buck every day of the week because he’s got the pace early.

“Pass The Buck is an awesome dog. He pre-trained as quick as any good dog I’ve ever had.

WATCH: “That was a fabulous display!” PASS THE BUCK (B4) is the fastest qualifier for Wednesday’s G3 Great Chase after a blistering 29.67sec semi-final victory.

“He’d had five looks at The Meadows before last week and it took him a few looks to work it out. His first two goes there were awful – he didn’t handle it – his third time there was okay and then his last two trials were super.”

Pass The Buck heads into Wednesday’s $47,000 to-the-winner Great Chase decider with a near-faultless record, winning seven of his eight starts.

His lone defeat to date came when runner-up in Healesville’s feature Highway 31 Maiden final.

Betting suggests the main threat to Azzopardi’s Great Chase defence is the white hot Jason Thompson, who’s chasing a third Group trophy in as many weeks after winning the G2 Bendigo Cup last Friday with Alpha Zulu and G1 Adelaide Cup seven nights earlier with Transponder.

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Thompson has two finalists in Explicit (box 2) and Tim Zoo (box 4), the second and third fastest semi winners, posting 29.70sec and 29.80sec, respectively.

Drawn either side of Pass The Buck, Explicit (5 from 7) and Tim Zoo (6 from 11), which is $4.20, are the only other finalists at single figures, with Azzopardi agreeing with the market that Explicit is his greatest threat.

Explicit, a January ’22 son of Bernardo and Brueghelino, ran the fastest first section in the six semi-finals, going 5.00sec, while Pass The Buck went 5.02sec, and Tim Zoo 5.04sec, setting the scene for an intriguing early exchange.

“Pass The Buck is really well-boxed, but I’m a bit worried about ‘the checks’ (Explicit),” he said.

“My dog will go in a straight line from box three, he won’t crash to the fence, and they could be going head to head.

“Explicit has great early pace too and went 17.56sec up the back.

Explicit winning his Great Chase semi-final in 29.70sec 📷 Jason Mckeown

“I’m hoping we can get out on front of Explicit, but it’s definitely going to hard to beat.

“The four (Tim Zoo) can step to the left too, so I’m just hoping we get a clear run and then it’s up to the dog.”

The Great Chase is the first of three feature targets Azzopardi is eyeing this week.

Head The Charge (heat 1, box 8) will be in action in Thursday night’s G2 Cranbourne Cup heats (515m) at Sandown Park, while Renegade Cochise and last start winners Battle Royal and Packham Silk are heading to Goulburn on Friday for the G3 Cup heats (440m).

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