Brilliant Trial Books Last Minute Launching Pad Bid

A "tricky" box draw and the inclusion of Magic Muffin has tempered trainer Kel Greenough's expectations with former WA sprinter Big Energy in Thursday night's Launching Pad heats.

But if the son of Aussie Infrared runs up to his mind-blowing 29.00 Sandown Park trial last week, Greenough is confident the unheralded sprinter can make his impression felt somewhere across the three-week, $530,000 series.

"His form had tapered off in WA and I got asked if I'd take him and see if I could get to the bottom of what was wrong," Greenough said.

FIELDS AND FORM SANDOWN PARK THURSDAY

"I never took him with the idea of racing him but a few issues arose with his trainer back in WA so he ended up being here longer than expected.

"Because he stayed longer than planned I started giving him a few trials and he just kept getting quicker and quicker to the point that I started searching around for a Launching Pad ticket for him.

"Last week he trialled 29 dead and went 5.08 early at Sandown. He's an extremely fast dog but box four on Thursday doesn't make things easy.

"Magic Muffin is in the seven who went 4.94 early last start and the three (Ohana Stidown) is a wide runner. I'll learn a lot more about him on Thursday night.”

Winner at three of his seven appearances, Big Energy will be stepping out for his first start since last November in Thursday night's third Launching Pad heat.

He will be joined by kennelmate Try Catch Up in Greenough's bid to go back-to-back in the Launching Pad following Wow She's Fast's mesmerising win in last year's finale.

Try Catch Up, winner at six of his eight starts, hasn't raced since January 24 when hitting the six win ceiling for the lucrative Launching Pad series.

"He's trialling well and has the talent if we see the best version of him he's in the race," Greenough said.

Try Catch Up will exit box two in heat six where he meets a raft of fellow exciting up-and-coming youngsters.

Meanwhile, Greenough has declared his champion chaser Wow She's Fast is improving rapidly after being scratched from the recent Perth Cup series.

WOW SHE'S FAST TAKES OUT THE LAUNCHING PAD IN STYLE ??? pic.twitter.com/7lOyKvEVim

— Sandown Greyhounds (@sandowndogs) April 14, 2022

The all-time world's leading stakes earner was withdrawn from the heats of the group 1 showpiece after a horror flight to WA and substandard last section in her trial.

"Her bloods are improving a lot quicker than I expected," Greenough said.

"Her liver was right down after Perth but I've had her on a different detox program and she's responded really well to it."

All things being equal it's expected Wow She's Fast will represent Sportsbet in The Sandgroper at Cannington on April 14 where she'll look to add the inaugural WA slot event to her first two The Phoenix triumphs and a list of other big race victories.