Tonight’s heats of the group 1 Sapphire Crown kick off a massive month of racing at Sandown Park as the club’s marquee May carnival moves in to full swing.
The Sapphire Crown is the country’s richest open age race for female greyhounds and has attracted a field befitting that status. The series favourite is Black Opium, a three time group 1 runner up from the powerful Jason Thompson kennel, and she’s set to start the odds of favourite for her heat (race 5).
Other notable include Zipping Zarbo (race 2) aiming to make it 10 wins in a row, You Tell Me (race 3) which defeated Black Opium in her last two appearances, and Aston Silk (race 7) who also hails from Thompson’s Pearcedale kennels.
The winner and runner up from each heat will progress to the $50,000 to the winner group 1 final to be run on Thursday 14 May. The box draw for the final will be conducted on course after race 8 and will be streamed live on Twitter at @sandowndogs.
An outstanding under card sees the favourite for the group 1 Harrison-Dawson Tiggerlong Tonk jump from box 1 in the Free For All (race 8), and the favourite for the RSN Sandown Cup Mister Harlewood line up a special event over 715m a race that shapes as a key form reference for the Cup heats on Thursday 21 May.
And as a bonus to punters, tab.com.au is projecting a $100,000 quaddie pool kicking off with race 5 at 7.28pm.
Watch all of the action LIVE on Sky Racing, or download the Watchdog app.
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