Dewana Star has stamped himself as the one to beat in Sunday’s Sportsbet Emerald final after recording the fastest time in today’s heats at Healesville.

The speedster stopped the clock in 16.23 seconds over the 300 metres, securing likely favouritism for the final after drawing box two.

Dewana Star was the fastest qualifier from box one in his Sportsbet Emerald heat. 

Straight-track specialist Catch Some Rays also impressed, winning his heat in 16.27 seconds to qualify as the second-fastest runner. He will jump from box eight in Sunday’s final.

The Sportsbet Emerald field is determined by the eight fastest times recorded across the eight heats, meaning a greyhound can win its heat but still miss out on the final if its time is not quick enough.

That proved the case for Knee Deep, trained by Adele Powell, and Paw Sakakibara for Aaron Campbell. Both greyhounds won their respective heats but fell outside the eight fastest qualifiers and will miss a start in the Sportsbet Emerald final.

The box draw for the Sportsbet Emerald was conducted during a special episode of Grey Areas, broadcast live from Healesville.

Following the official proceedings, Jason Adams and Corey Smith recapped a huge Sportsbet Australian Cup night at The Meadows, where three Group 1 finals were contested, before turning their attention to the heats of the Group 2 Sportsbet Ballarat Cup, which will be run tomorrow night.