Electrified can again burn the field in Sandi’s Me Mum Heat
Steve Shinners still doesn't know how good Electrified can be ahead of the second Sandi's Me Mum Memorial heat at Cannington on Saturday night.
The talented two-year-old is in brilliant form, producing a scorching 29.69-second run to win the Vale John Carmody event also over 520m at the same venue in his last start on January 14.
Before that, he was a gallant runner-up to Jay Is Jay from the four box in the Group 2 Queensland Derby.
It is why he will go into race six on the program as the $1.55 favourite across the top betting sites from box one.
Shinners – who trains the young gun alongside his wife Krystal – said Electrified can sometimes be his own worse enemy because he loves trying to catch up to his opponents.
Other than that, there aren't too many weaknesses with this sprinter who has 17 wins from 24 starts.
“You just don't know how good the dog is,” Shinners told Australian Racing Greyhound.
“He's just one of those dogs who does enough to beat them. He's very competitive.
“That's probably his only downfall. I think he gets to the lead too early.
“He's got such a will to win that he wants to catch the dog in front and pass it.
“We just don't know how fast he can go.”
Electrified's last-start victory by three quarters of a length was all the more remarkable because he was fourth at the first turn.
But he then made up four lengths up the back straight, such is the acceleration he possesses.
“I don't know how many lengths he lost because he missed the kick with a silent lure there (at Cannington),” Shinners said.
“It's getting a little bit better because since it's wearing in, it's starting to make a little more noise.
“It's hard when you go to Albion Park or Melbourne where the lures are a bit different.
“When he missed it and then he was going to get trapped wide, he used his brains.
“He probably lost two or three in the run, and the track wasn't very good.”
Shinners said Electrified displayed his sought-after combination of race nous together with his blinding turn of foot in his last-start triumph at Cannington.
“To change gears like he did and zoom up to those dogs, I thought he was going to take the wrong option again,” he said.
“I thought he was going to try and push up the inside, but there was no room.
“He got off the heels of it (eventual runner-up Rumblin' Moment).”
Shinners said he was proud of Electrified's runner-up effort in the Queensland Derby, crossing the line in 30.09 seconds.
“It was a great run in Queensland. He was just probably a bit stiff,” he said.
“In the final, if the six (Starline Express) didn't hit him, he just romps in.
“Because he didn't get to show his best asset, which is his mid-race acceleration.
“He was probably capable of running a 29.6.”
Electrified's brother Solidified – also with no shortage of talent – will line up in the first Sandi's Me Mum Memorial heat at Cannington on Saturday night.
He will begin with $5.50 winning odds from the eight box for the powerhouse kennel, where he has not missed the frame in three starts out of this draw.
“Solidifed and him, there's nothing between them. He's had a setback with a metacarpal,” Shinners said.
“But he's just come back. He's probably capable of getting down to 29.6 at Cannington.”
It certainly appears as though Krystal and Steve Shinners have put in the work to set them up for plenty more success in the future.
Their by Aussie Infrared out of Miss America litter is looking very promising.
“He (Solidified) is a very nice dog. And Runaway To Mars, he ran 29.75 (at Cannington on December 31),” Shinners said.
“He's still learning to race. Those dogs were left out in the paddock for a lot longer because they were so immature.
“And they're big dogs at 34 to 36kg. Just giving them that time to mature has really helped them.
“Whereas Electrified was just a natural right from the start. So was Solidified, but he's just had a couple of setbacks along the way.
“Hopefully we can get some of them to stay as well.”