Pass The Buck provides Azzopardi a year-to-year Great Chase double opportunity
Pass The Buck stepped out for his first look at The Meadows track and stopped the clock to run the fastest time of the six semi-finals of the 2023 Group 3 Great Chase on Wednesday night.
Trained by Anthony Azzopardi, the chaser started the 525m contest as the +100 favourite on greyhound betting apps.
Beginning from box four, he got out to hit the lead and led all the way to salute for his sixth straight win.
Pass The Buck beat home Mepunga Ollie (+320) by 3.51 lengths in 29.67, while Shima Stripe (+350) finished in third.
2023 Group 3 Great Chase Semi Final 2 – Pass The Buck (29.67) T: Anthony Azzopardi
Pass The Buck won his heat of the Great Chase at the Bendigo 500m trip, winning in 29.77 to qualify for the semi-final.
From a Bernardo x On The Runway litter of eight whelped in December 2021, Pass The Buck is the most successful from his litter, having now won seven of eight career starts and finishing second at his only non-winning run.
Pass The Buck has so far earned $28,200 in prizemoney for connections.
He will now line up in the $47,000-to-the-winner Group 3 Great Chase Final to be run on October 18 at The Meadows.
He will be joined by the other semi-final winners: Jetson's Flash (30.09), Gesundheit (30.22), Smooth Plane (29.91) and Jason Thompson-trained pair Tim Zoo (29.80) and Explicit (29.70).
The fastest two second-placed chasers also advance to the Grand Final, with Jeff Britton-trained Mepunga Ollie (29.91) and the Michelle Mallia-trained Fernando Phil (29.94) also qualifying.
2023 Group 3 Great Chase Semi Final 1 – Jetson's Flash (30.09) T: Olivia Cartechini
2023 Group 3 Great Chase Semi Final 3 – Tim Zoo (29.80) T: Jason Thompson
2023 Group 3 Great Chase Semi Final 4 – Explicit (29.70) T: Jason Thompson
2023 Group 3 Great Chase Semi Final 5 – Gesundheit (30.22) T: Natalie Presutto
2023 Group 3 Great Chase Semi Final 6 – Smooth Plne (29.91) T: Tom Dailly
Leading Victorian greyhound trainer Anthony Azzopardi is looking to train back-to-back Great Chase winners after training the 2022 Great Chase victor.
Last year's edition of the Great Chase was won by All Spritzed Up who had six wins and two placings from his nine career starts leading into the final.