Racing: Roberts poised for Futurity

Daphne Bale is well placed to earn greyhound trainer Craig Roberts his second group one win in a week in the New Zealand Futurity at Hutt Park in Wellington tonight.

Roberts notched a group one win with Groovy Jewel last Thursday in the country's richest race, the $55,000 Duke of Edinburgh Silver Collar at Manukau.

Daphne Bale tonight faces a stern test in the $27,500 restricted age classic but she has been assisted by drawing box one. The daughter of Awesome Assassin won the fastest of four heats on the grass circuit last Wednesday, recording 30.49s for the 525m assignment. She holds the Hutt Park track record with a time of 30.13s set when she won the Wellington Oaks in March.

Power Within and Pilli Appeal were impressive heat winners when they had their first starts at Hutt Park and both should be better for the experience. They both recorded 30.68s.

Power Within led throughout from trap eight and has drawn the outside alley again. Pilli Appeal had the benefit of box one last week but has to overcome trap four in the final.

Although White Token was the slowest heat winner with a gallop of 30.78s, he produced a super effort to run down Chantilly Bale. But he will need early luck tonight if he is to do the same from box six.

* John McInerney has become the first New Zealand greyhound trainer to post 300 wins in a season, reaching the milestone when Dracula Davgar won race 15 at the Christchurch Greyhound Racing Club's meeting on Tuesday.

McInerney, from Canterbury, has another five weeks to add to his total before the season ends.

The previous highest number of wins in a season was 240 posted by Craig Roberts in the 2000-01 season.

McInerney's previous best had been 226 1/2 when he won the national trainers' premiership last year.

This season McInerney is lonely at the top of the premiership with Roberts a distant second on 136 and David Schofield third with 120.

Dracula Davgar was the third winner on Tuesday's programme for McInerney and he won the following event to advance to 301. The trainer's 300th winner came with his 1581st starter for the season. His kennel has earned stakes of $459,996 this term.

McInerney is supported in the operation of New Zealand's largest greyhound racing establishment by his wife, Gail, sons Johnathon and Stephen, and a number of assistants.

- NZPA