THE blistering early speed and hard-chasing tendencies of Kilty Express has Dennington trainer Ray Drew confident the promising chaser can cause an unlikely upset in the Group One Maturity Classic.
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The experienced trainer will front up for his first Group One final on Saturday night when Kilty Express jumps from box six in the $100,000 race at The Meadows.
Kilty Express rose to prominence with a stunning fourth-place effort in this year’s Warrnambool Classic, and secured his spot in the six-figure event via two second-places in the first heat and semi final.
Drew, who co-trains the nine-time winner with son Dustin, said Kilty Express had arrived at his kennel in February after a stint with Brett Bravo near Geelong.
He admitted the 33kg chaser would need luck to emerge as the victor from the star-studded field.
“One of his best traits is that he is a quick beginner. He likes to lead and we’re hoping he can get to the front and avoid any trouble that might be on the first turn,” he said.
“He’s drawn box six here but I don’t think that will be a worry for him. But he will have to do everything right as he’s up against some of the best.
“It will be tight. In races like this all of the dogs have quality and they’re all within a length of each other early on.”
Kilty Express notched a time of 29.95 seconds in his first heat, and was defeated by just under half a length.
The son of Kilty Lad and Bogie Jewel improved his first sectional by 0.02 seconds in his semi final run, but was slower in the run home, passing the post at 30.10 seconds.
Drew said Kilty Express was among the best greyhounds he had trained.
“He’s absolutely up there with the best. We had another bitch, Fratelli Fresh, who won 16 races. But he (Kilty Express) is probably the quickest we’ve had,” he said.
“This is a special event in that it’s our first Group One race. We’ve had a couple of Group Three runners and it’s not only good for us but it’s good for the greyhound.
“We’ve had a good week in the buildup to it and we’ve done everything we can do. Once he’s in the boxes, we can’t do much but hope he can stay trouble free.”
Kilty Express was last night an early favourite for the race, clocking in at $4.80 in pre-race odds.
“He’s proven he’s a good dog so far with wins from nearly every box, but he will have to do everything right here against some really good dogs. The box one and box eight dogs are strong,” Drew said. The Maturity Classic will kick off at 9:42pm on Saturday night.
