Another Knight's Page ‘Master' Class

WHEN Gayle Masterson retired her multiple group winning star Knight Sprite in late 2017 she was understandably content with the knowledge she'd never get another one like him.

Turns out, she may have been wrong.

Enter Knight's Page, the son of Barcia Bale and Nyxie – the dam a sister to Knight Sprite – a narrow 29.84 winner of the Ladbrokes Gardens Million Dollar Chase heat on Saturday night.

Now a winner at nine of his 18 appearances, Knight's Page's spiral up the ranks has been a credit to Masterson and good friends Anne and Barry Foley, the South Maitland couple assuming the training responsibilities while Masterson overcomes recent knee surgery.

What a difference a few weeks in greyhound racing can make.

Back on September 3, Foley and Masterson were forced to scratch Knight's Page from the Gosford Million Dollar Chase heats after injuring himself out in the yard on race morning.

At the time there were fears his Million Dollar Chase hopes were dashed, but with the Ladbrokes Gardens qualifiers a few weeks away, work began to have him ready for the series at a track he landed ‘The Macca' at in superb fashion on August 30.

On Saturday night you could have been forgiven for thinking it was Knight Sprite on show rather than his close related "nephew" Knight's Page, the rising star pulling out all stops late to defeat Golden Easter Egg runner-up Federal Lilly right on the line in 29.84.

Federal Lilly's return to racing was an outstanding one for Peter Lagogiane, the daughter of Dyna Double One certain to be all the better for next week's assignment with that run under her belt.

The performance of third placegetter Get It Gizmo for trainer Jason Mackay was a luckless one, the heavily supported favourite another 1 ½ lengths away at the finish, confirming he'll be a force to be reckoned with in next week's decider as well.

With just the one qualifier staged on Saturday, the same eight runners will butter up in next weekend's finale, where the first four will book a spot in the semi-finals of the TAB Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park on October 11.

Meanwhile, in the central west at Dubbo on Saturday night the Dennis Barnes-trained Nangar Gift upstaged some of her more fancied rivals to land the club's $6,000 regional final in a fast 29.56.

Leading all-the-way from box eight, Nangar Gift booked a trip to Wenty for the October 11 semi-finals where she'll be joined by fellow qualifiers Connie's Boy, Jimmy Casey and Buck's Future.

Nangar Gift, a daughter of Brett Lee and All Too Fancy, has been a terrific money-spinner for Barnes winning 18 of her 53 starts, and loaded with blistering early speed, can make her presence felt when the semi-finals roll around in three weeks time.

Ladbrokes Gardens Million Dollar Chase Final:

1 Miley Nismo 2 Federal Lilly 3 Sheba's Dream 4 Get It Gizmo 5 Eye Rock 6 Mystic Riot 7 Knight's Page 8 Galaxy Banner.