Treherne Hopeful Ahead Of Explosive Speed Star Clash

CRAIG Treherne believes top prospect Highly Explosive has her work cut out for her in Wednesday night's Speed Star but is confident of a bold showing.

Highly Explosive is the only female to make the top eight courtesy of a stunning 29.159 win on her Sandown Park debut in March in which she ran home in a brilliant 10.29.

It made her the seventh fastest female ever at Sandown Park, a list headed by Speed Star series 6 winner Dyna Patty.

While Highly Explosive's speed is unquestioned, it's dog she's drawn against that will prove the greatest obstacle to Speed Star success – Tiggerlong Tonk.

"The dog I'm taking on in the Speed Star, he's the best dog in the country by a mile," he said ahead of their match race.

"He's been everywhere, been in all the big finals and he can run time. Unfortunately we have to take him on, but we'll be there."

Tiggerlong Tonk enters the match off the back of his second group 1 win in the Harrison-Dawson just two weeks ago. While his group race credentials are unquestioned – he's made 11 group 1 finals – it's his ability to run time that is the Correy Grenfell trained star's biggest weapon in this format. His best time at the track was set when running a race record 29.032 in last year's four-dog Shootout and has run faster than Highly Explosive's qualifying time on four occasions. He showed his capability in the two-dog format in the recent Cup Night match race at Warrnambool where he ran within two lengths of the track record.

While ‘Tonk's' numbers are imposing, Treherne said that we are yet to see the best of Highly Explosive and believed she is capable of running a time that would be competitive at this level, especially in this format.

"If you look at that race (in which she ran her qualifying time), she bumped into a dog out of the boxes and then through the pen she pushed a dog out of the way.

"I think she's a dog that can get down to low 29s, and drawn inside gives her a chance to step a bit better. The thing I've noticed in her race pattern is that she wants to be two off the fence and she seems to race better than she trials. If she can get a drag into the race, they'll know she's there."

"At the end of the day, the owners are rapt to be there and see her in a race like this."

The Speed Star is one of the most keenly anticipated races of the year, bringing together Australia's fastest greyhounds in a series of two-dog match races. The 2021 series, the 10th to be run at Sandown Park, kicks off at 6.33pm on Wednesday 2nd June.

Highly Explosive (rug 5)
Trainer: Craig Treherne
Career: Starts 15, 7-0-1
Prize money: $15,070
At Sandown (515m): 6s, 2-0
Fastest first split: 5.12
Fastest win time: 29.159
Qualifying time: 29.159
Head to head price: $4.80

VERSUS

Tiggerlong Tonk (rug 6)
Trainer: Correy Grenfell
Career: Starts 79, 39-16-8
Prize money: $676,015
At Sandown (515m): 27s, 12-8
Fastest first split: 5.00
Fastest win time: 29.03
Qualifying time: 29.100
Head to head price: $1.18