Miss McGraw & Bella Una give Ray Smith strong hand in Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal
Miss McGraw has rocketed in favourite for the 2023 Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal final with an authoritative victory in a 29.63 heat on Saturday night.
Demonstrating impressive sustained speed, Miss McGraw, owned by Sandra Spratt and trained by Ray Smith, vanquished her opponents, achieving a three-length triumph over the gallant Zipping Rousey.
This victory was not an anomaly, with Miss McGraw hailing from a litter that has already produced 2023 Group 3 The Brother Fox finalist, Royal Nangar.
2023 Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal Heat 1 – Miss McGraw (29.63) T: Ray Smith
Bred by Dennis and Ann Barnes, Miss McGraw is a daughter of Shima Shine and Nangar Diva, and is yet to finish worse than fourth in nine starts, having won four races and run four places.
Forbes-based greyhound trainer Ray Smith will have two 2023 Group 1 Peter Mosman finalist after also qualifying Bella Una as the second fastest winner of the three heats.
Bella Una led from the front in the second heat, clocking 29.73, and relegated the much-favoured Nangar Lucy to second place.
2023 Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal Heat 2 – Bella Una (29.73) T: Ray Smith
Bella Una is by Feral Franky out of Khatanga Eve, and has now won four of her seven race starts.
Smith has previously tasted victory in a similar event, having won the 2019 Vic Peters Classic with Feral Franky.
Now, he faces the tantalising prospect of securing the bitches Group 1 equivalent, the Peter Mosman Opal, with his two top contenders, Miss McGraw and Bella Una.
The third and last qualifier saw a gritty victory by Nangar Luna, trained by Joe McFadyen, who overcame a fast-finishing Zipping Foxy by 1.5 lengths in 30.07.
2023 Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal Heat 3 – Nangar Luna (30.07) T: Joe McFadyen
Miss McGraw's heat win, clocking the quickest time among the three Peter Mosman Opal heats, and Bella Una's all-the-way romp, marking the second fastest time, have made them the favourites Saturday night's $75,000 to-the-winner Group 1 final.
The Peter Mosman Opal traces its origins back to 1952 as the second oldest event on the NSW greyhound racing calendar.
The event, first run as the Bi-Annual Classic at Harold Park, was renamed the Peter Mosman in 1988 to honour the late chairman of the Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers Association (NSW GBOTA).
In 2019, it became the Peter Mosman Opal, an age restricted event for bitches.
2023 Group 1 Peter Mosman Opal Final
2023 Peter Mosman Opal Box Draw & FieldWentworth Park520mGroup 1$75,000 to-the-winnerSaturday July 8 2023
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1 Bella Una
T: Ray SmithF: 1811Career: 7: 4-0-0Prizemoney: $13,000
+340
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2 Miss McGraw
T: Ray SmithF: 1311Career: 9: 4-2-2Prizemoney: $16,710
+150
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3 Nangar Lucy
T: Dennis BarnesF: 1112Career: 6: 4-2-0Prizemoney: $17,000
+340
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4 Zipping Rousey
T: John FinnF: 2582Career: 7: 2-1-0Prizemoney: $7,970
+340
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5 Sublime Ethics
+1400
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6 Zipping Foxy
T: Minnie FinnF: 3142Career: 14: 2-5-3Prizemoney: $14,260
+2500
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7 Elsesser
+2000
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8 Nangar Luna
T: Joe McFadyenF: 2121Career: 14: 3-5-2Prizemoney: $16,680
+1100
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9 Sonia Keeping
T: Chris GreenF: 2233Career: 15: 3-3-3Prizemoney: $12,430
+1700
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10 Express Pearl
T: Antonio TeofiloF: 2374Career: 9: 1-1-2Prizemoney: $2,960
+6000
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Odds correct at time of publication