Worrying Trend Key To Muffin's Sapphire Claims

Paul Bartolo is dreaming of a second Sapphire Crown when the exciting Magic Muffin takes her place in the heats at Sandown Park on Thursday night.  

Bartolo famously won the bitches only group 1 with Betty's Angel in 2006 when the race was run as a lead in to the Melbourne Cup – which she also won – and was later named the Victorian and Australian Greyhound of the Year.

FIELDS AND FORM SANDOWN PARK THURSDAY NIGHT

While Magic Muffin has some way to go to match Betty's Angel's deeds, Magic Muffin has got off to an impressive start to her career, winning seven of 16 starts including a slick 29.17 win at Sandown Park in February.

Magic Muffin, that was ridiculous ?

An unbelievable 4.94 first split on her way to a 29.17 win!

Watch out fellow LP contenders pic.twitter.com/OmQ9dG2NY1

— Sandown Greyhounds (@sandowndogs) February 16, 2023

Despite her abundant ability, a concerning habit has Bartolo circumspect about her chances on Thursday evening.

"If she jumps she'll go alright but I don't know," said Bartolo.

"The last four or five starts she's been waiting for the lids to open. We've been doing everything we can (to try and get her out of the boxes) and she does everything really well. I thought we had fixed it but then on Saturday night (at The Meadows) she still missed it."

The recent trait is particularly frustrating given she had shown blinding early speed in her 29.17 Sandown Park victory – her 4.94 first split was just 0.04soutside the record.

"I think she got knocked around a bit when she drew outside a couple of times, and she's a bit hesitant coming out,” the trainer added.

“But she's been racing in that many group races that it's hard to build her confidence and now with her ranking she's not going to get any easy races.

"Once she comes out, she just goes straight through the field, it doesn't worry her. I don't know, something's in her head. I can't work it out, it's frustrating because she can really run."

Bartolo was more confident about litter brother Make No Promise despite his remarkable run of poor box draws continuing into Thursday's Group 1 Harrison-Dawson heats where the keen railer will line up in the pink vest for the sixth time in 17 career starts.

"You know what box eight is like at Sandown. He's a very talented dog but from box eight he's going to need luck, but if the luck goes his way he'll go good," he said.

"He's got all of the ability – he's quicker than Magic Muffin when you trial them – but this is how unlucky he is, he just loves the fence and has drawn box one just once and that was in a match race!"

Make No Promise has an impressive 5-1-1 record from seven career starts at Sandown Park with a best time of 29.29. However Bartolo believes that we are yet to see what he is capable of against the clock and was the pick of the littermates.

Sandown Park sizzlers#LaunchingPad eligible MAKE NO PROMISE extended his winning streak to five races in another slick performance at @sandowndogs.

TROOPER TEARS and DUNDEE REBEL impressed in their respective #LaunchingPad qualifying heats.#GreyhoundRacing pic.twitter.com/HmBVf6Rvkr

— WatchDog Racing (@WatchDogRacing) March 13, 2023

"I haven't trialled him solo for a long time, but I think he can run 29's at Sandown if he got on the lure real quick because he's improved in the last few months,” Bartolo said.

"Two starts ago at The Meadows he didn't lead when he ran 29.67 and ran Umberto down. Umberto was still in front just before the 600m boxes then went past him like he was standing still. Umberto then won at Sandown in good time the following Thursday.

"I know he got in trouble on Saturday night but the six wouldn't leave him alone. He normally gets the rail pretty quick, even from box eight. He'll be on the rail either before the first turn or just after it."

Bartolo's third runner in the group 1 heats, Storm Stroller, ran second to Kelsey Bale in the recent Geelong Cup but despite that career best performance, Bartolo gives him little chance of victory after drawing the last heat.

"He'll be knackered by race 9," he said.

"He's an early race dog and I took it off him for the Australian Cup because if he won his heat he'd be automatically scratched.

"He didn't win his heat and the Geelong Cup was coming up. He drew probably race 4 or 5 for his heat and he won that, and then he surprised me because the Cup was race eight and he ran second in it.

"He went good (in the Geelong Cup), but I think race nine will take it out of him."

The winner, runner up and two fastest third placegetters in the Sapphire Crown heats will join the winner and runner-up of each Harrison-Dawson heat in progressing to their respective finals on Thursday 18 May.