The country’s best young female greyhounds converged at Sandown Park yesterday for heats of the time-honoured Laurels series.
As expected, Fanta Bale kicked off the series in tremendous fashion when she virtually led all the way in 29.41 – her eighth win at the track from 9 outings.
Pepper Fire won in similar fashion to claim the second heat in 29.50. Heat 3 saw Jacqui Blax show a strong turn of foot in the early stages and wasn’t challenged in the run to the line – 3¾ lengths the winning margin in 29.47.
Striker Light lit up the track in heat 4 when she set a blistering 4.97 early, 18.60 to the back and 29.37 overall ahead of a gallant Princess Pout.
Fearless Swan led all of the way in her heat and Fair Of Face worked hard to win heat 6.
Brooklyn Skye won the penultimate heat and if punters thought they’d seen the best of the heats they were wrong as Kiranna set the time standard in the final heat with a red hot 29.20.
The winner and place getters from each heat advance to Sunday’s semi-finals, with the winner and runner-up advancing to the $73,500 Group 2 final on Thursday 15 December.
Click here for full results
Click here for semi-final fields and box draw
PICTURED: Fanta Bale following her heat win
Fanta Bale claims the first heat of the Laurels
