Bitter Rivals Eye Pop Northfield Riches

“MATES” Steve Keep and John Dart will be eyeballing each other when they line up on Friday night with hot chances for the time-honoured Pop Northfield Maiden Final (411m) at Casino.

Keep and Dart have been mates for decades but bitter rivals on the racetrack.

Keep will have two of the top chances to win the Pop Northfield, litter brothers All Lies Ahead and Sal's Blue Boy (Barcia Bale-Precious Sal) for breeder and owner Margaret Dwyer.

FIELDS AND FORM CASINO FRIDAY NIGHT

Dart will be chasing back-to-back wins in the Pop Northfield when he runs Kingsbrae Demon (Beast Unleashed-Kingsbrae Martha) following the stylish win by Command's Respect last year.

While Dart is enthusiastic about the chances of the Toni Northfield-owned Kingsbrae Demon, he believes All Lies Ahead is the hardest to beat in the final.

Kingsbrae Demon ran 23.88 to win his heat last Thursday.

Sal's Blue Boy went 23.47, the quickest of the heats when a stylish winner. But All Lies Ahead appeared a “good thing beaten” when second to Paxton Dutton in 23.55 in their heat.

“There is nothing between my pair,” said Keepie.

“In the lead-up to the series, All Lies Ahead trialled 23.24 and Sal's Blue Boy went 23.26.

“They only have to  come out on Friday night to be right in the final.”

Keep has been trying to win the Pop Northfield for decades.

“I remember having runners in the old days when the quallies were held on a Sunday,” he said.

“We set out a plan to target this race nine weeks ago and so far it is all coming together.

“The pair of them are still very green but have lots of ability. I expect them to begin much better in the final. In those early trials, they were reeling off 8.40s early sections.”

Dart rates Kingsbrae Demon a huge chance of giving him consecutive Pop Northfield finals.

“Everyone knows he is the fastest break-in Charlie and Toni Northfield have ever had at Golden View education,” said Dart of Kingsbrae Demon.

“But the dog is a real handful.

“I've got the scars all over my arms to prove it.

“He's just headstrong and wants to get on with the job. He will settle down with racing.

“He has trialled there in 23.30.”

Dart also rates Reg Gardoll's Starline Express, second to High Range in its heat last week, as hard to toss in the final.

“Very smart dog and will be very hard to beat,” he said.

Keep and Dart are bitter racetrack rivals.

“I try not to talk to him on race days,” said Keep. “He keeps reminding me he's had a couple of greyhounds of the year.”

Dart says: “I'd like to get those dogs off him. They are very smart.”

Keep says Grafton president John Corrigan has been quick to lend some advice to him in recent times.

“He's like a second grandfather to me,” said Keepie of Corrigan.

Andrew Monaghan also goes into the final with two hopes, Uzman Dutton a 23.51 heat winner, and Paxton Dutton a 23.55 heat winner.