Smooth Plane Sets G2 Golden Ticket Pace

GEORGE Dailly knows only too well the one-out ability of Smooth Plane and going into next Thursday night's Group 2 Golden Ticket (520m) final he and Team Dailly are confident he can prove that once again.

Smooth Plane (Vulturi-Smooth Bourbski) ran 29.99 on a wet track in the four-dog heats of the Golden Ticket at Albion Park on Thursday night.

It was the best of the four heats and he now takes on another Group race star in Good Odds Cobber who ran 30.04 to win his heat in next week's two-dog match race.

The other two-dog match races are:

La Sagrada (30.23) takes on Wreck James (30.26)

Warm Cockles (30.15) runs against Lakeview Emily (30.08)

Blue Kermaro (30.29) battles Danger Zone (30.41)

Team Dailly, and all Australia, watched in awe as Smooth Plane, in the week leading up to the Group 1 The Phoenix late in December trialled an incredible 29.43 around The Meadows.

It was just a length outside another Team Dailly star, Allen Deed's 10-year-old Meadows track record of 29.37.

George still marvels at the ability of Allen Deed a decade after he ran that Meadows track record and won the G1 Adelaide Cup. He has become a much underestimated stud dog.

George believes Smooth Plane was unlucky not to have beaten Explicit in The Phoenix.

"If he doesn't get jammed up going into the back straight, I thought he could have run down Explicit," he said.

He was beaten just two lengths into second.

George is the first to admit Smooth Plane has been an unlucky dog.

He has finished second in:

G1 The Phoenix

G1 Ipswich Gold Cup

G1 National Sprint

And, been a finalist at G1 level in the Brisbane Cup, Harrison-Dawson and Silver Chief.

His lone Group victory is the G3 Provincial Plate way back in December 2023. He has also made five other Group finals.

"He will love the two-dog advantage of this final next week," said George.

The winner, decided on which dog runs the fastest in the four two-dog match races, goes directly into the final of the G1 Gold Bullion (520m) at Albion Park on January 30 worth $250,000 to the winner.

The Golden Ticket final carries a winner's purse of $60,000.

Smooth Plane heads home to Victoria on Friday the usual practice for Dailly interstate runners.