New South Wales chaser Watch The Wasp will begin his second TAB Melbourne Cup campaign when he lines up in the third Prelude series at Sandown Park tonight.
Watch The Wasp ran second in the corresponding series in 2017, which was enough to secure his berth in the Cup heats where he ran fifth behind eventual TAB Melbourne Cup winner Aston Dee Bee. Trainer Sydney Swain believes Watch The Wasp is going better than he was in his first campaign south of the border.
“I spoke to Jason Thompson behind the boxes the other night and he said he’s going a lot better than he was last year,” said Swain.
“He just went through the million dollar series (at Wentworth Park) where he ran second behind (series winner) Mystic Riot in his qualifier, and his run in the semi-final where he spotted them 10 and got beaten a length was huge.
“He’s bit of a slow beginner but his run home times were the best of any greyhound in the series so it warranted bringing him along for a crack at the Cup. If I trialled him on his own I reckon he’d go 29.20, but he needs things to go his way – he drops out, switches to the outside and flashes home.”
Watch The Wasp will have company on his sojourn south with younger half brother Buck’s Future also vying for a berth in the TAB Melbourne Cup heats.
“He’s a nice little dog. He’s a slow beginner and he likes to get to the fence but he’s a keen chaser. He’s been storming home at Wenty – if he can find the fence in a good position around the first turn he’ll be right in it.”
The winner of each TAB Melbourne Cup Prelude automatically qualifies for the heats of the world’s greatest greyhound race on Friday 16 November, with the winner of each heat progressing to the $630,000 final on Friday 23 November.
Poke The Bear is the current $10 favourite for one of the most open TAB Melbourne Cups in memory. Click here for the latest market.
Click here for your free form guide for tonight TAB Melbourne Cup Prelude series 3.
Pic courtesy of the Greyhound Recorder
Watch The Wasp (7) storms from last to run within a length of Jamella Jet in a semi-final of the Million Dollar Chase
