Special Night For Dubbo As Brother Fox Begins

SATURDAY marks a special night at Dubbo Greyhounds with the heats of the Group 2 Ladbrokes Brother Fox and one of Australia's most unique races, the Bill & Peg Miller Memorial.

Five heats are set for decision in the $50,000-to-the-winner Brother Fox while there is also five heats of the Bill & Peg Miller Memorial, a race for maidens and dogs with one or two wins, carrying a winner's purse of $20,000.

"Outside of Wentworth Park, when was the last time you saw 10, 500-metre races on a program in NSW so it should also be a great night for the punters," Dubbo Greyhound Racing Club President Shayne Stiff said.

FIELDS AND FORM DUBBO SATURDAY NIGHT

The Dubbo club head honcho also revealed that this year both the Brother Fox and the Bill & Peg Miller Memorial will be run twice with the club deciding to move their feature races from May to a new, more friendly, November timeslot.

"We have the Dubbo Show in town in May and that clashes with our race meeting two out of every four years and the other thing is that the Ashton Circus comes to Dubbo every two years and they are back here this weekend," Stiff said.

"There's just too much on in the area in May."

Stiff and his partner, leading local trainer Charmaine Roberts, have four runners in the heats of the Brother Fox, two trained by Roberts and two in other kennels.

The first of the quartet to run on Saturday is Roberts' kennel star, last start Nowra Puppy Classic winner Sooty Keeping, which will start a short favourite after drawing box one.

"We gave her an easy week after Nowra so she might be just half a run short but she does love Dubbo and getting box one is a big plus," Stiff said.

In the second heat, National Futurity winner Laura Keeping returns from an eight-week break for Central Districts young gun Jay Opetaia.

The daughter of Fernando Bale will exit from box six in her heat.

"She's definitely a run short but she's going very well," Stiff said. "If she can make it into Saturday week's final, she'll be spot on."

Chuck Keeping contests the third heat and he's drawn box three.

"Chuck's probably the fastest dog in our kennel, two out I'd back him to beat Sooty however he's a big of an enigma," he said.

"The draw isn't too bad for him so it depends which Chuck turns up."

Robert Keeping is prepared by top Sydney trainer Jason Magri and Laura Keeping's litter brother is chasing his sixth straight win in the fourth heat where he's drawn box two.

"I know Jason is over the moon with him," Stiff said. "He was broken in here so he knows the track and he had another look recently and went very nicely.

"He's a talented dog and will run well."