WHILE all the attention rightfully centred last Friday night on the trio of Group 1 stars on show at Sandown, I found the pedigree designed to make Eight Ball, a flying 29.33 victor at the track, something to relish.

There is an old saying that great minds think alike. Peppertide's berth in this week's Group 1 Sandown Cup final is the perfect example of that.

BACK in mid-December last year, the great man Steve Kavanagh was both overjoyed and disheartened. Joyce Rumble (Cosmic Rumble-Dulcinea by Primo Uno) had just swept aside Group stars Fast Times and Cosmic Bonus in a 29.86 Best 8 win at Albion Park at her fourth start from a long break.

The scorching 29.55 run by exciting young bitch Midnight Flare at Wentworth Park on Saturday night would have surprised no one, least not her breeders-owners David and Danielle Pringle.

No, it wasn't the fastest of the night. YES, it was a just a lowly fifth grade. BUT, the victory by Charlie Casey at Wentworth Park on Saturday night should have given breeders an insight.

Merv Papworth has been dabbling in greyhound ownership for many years. The best he's had in the past was a promising Bekim Bale dog who won a few Victorian provincial races before developing some poor box manners. Read more to find out about his success with Fernando Blaster.

MICHELLE Sultana is the glamorous face of greyhound racing and her dad Sam would be the first to admit she's far more glamorous than he. Michelle, who has been walking greyhounds from the time she could walk herself, had a moment to savour at the weekend when Drink Schooners (Fabregas-Silver Bullet by El Grand Senor) landed the Listed race, The Collerson at Wentworth Park.

While the stars were preparing to come out at Wentworth Park for the Paws Of Thunder heats, down at Sandown a couple of days earlier, May Haze was impressive in winning a graded race in a handy time.

THE Group 1 Sale Cup has become one of those races. The 650m distance allows stronger type sprinters and those "stayers" who struggle at the end of a 700m race to get their chance at Group glory. It always tosses up a classy victor and the victory of Neo Cleo (Cosmic Rumble-Ruby Ha Ha by Bombastic Shiraz) proves that point.