The withdrawal of Pride Of Charlie has created a chance Forest Hill trainer John Hartley is looking to cash in on.
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Pride Of Charlie was a dominant heat winner on Friday night but was scratched by trainer Peter Sims.
With his time of 30.10 seconds was more than 1.5 seconds faster than Hartley’s other heat winner Our Jack, Pride Of Charlie looked to have the Ladborkes 525m final at his mercy.
Hartley believes Friday’s race is now much more even.
“It was a very impressive run from that dog (Pride Of Charlie), and for a dog who has only had five starts to do that is a city class dog,” Hartley said. “I was banking on running second but it makes the field more even.
“If he was in the race you never know with the draw and what they do in that first corner.”
Our Jack is chasing a hat-trick of wins at Wagga.
He’d been disappointing before that, after contracting tonsillitis, and Hartley credits a new compression rug for the turnaround in form.
“He used to play up in the kennels and is a dog who likes to bark,” he said.
“I was nearly going to get an operation on his tonsils but I bought him a compression rug which quietens them down. It has made a big difference.”
He’s had it for three runs, the first was luckless before two wins at Wagga.
Hartley rated Stagecoach Mart, who was second behind Our Jack in the heat, as the hardest to beat.
Lorraine Ray’s runner has drawn box seven and is expected to be better for a second run on the Wagga circuit.