A cup field made to order

By Stuart Teather
With $250,000 prizemoney on offer, it is the richest greyhound race in the country, and has a quality field.
Reg Kay’s Queensland champion Made To Size will start favourite from box two, after recording a blistering 29.70 seconds in his heat. Despite it being just his second run after a three-month injury, Made To Size powered home in his heat to win by 3.75 lengths.
Perhaps the biggest challenge to the favourite will be from Hanify’s Impact, with the Jason Thompson-trained bitch starting from the favoured box one.
The inside box offers a proven benefit in the cup, with 16 winners having started from it. The next best is box three with seven winners.
Hanify’s Impact ran her heat in 29.89 seconds and has been in good form, winning the Shepparton Cup and finishing second in the Maitland Gold Cup.
Pearcedale’s Thompson features heavily in the race despite his star dog El Galo missing out, with Nitro Burst starting from box three.
The black dog won the group 1 Vic Peters Memorial and edged out veteran Sonador in his cup heat, winning by half a length in 29.99 seconds.
Other challengers include Surgeon, who has four wins from six starts at Sandown, and Kendale Bale, who scored a surprise win over El Galo in the heats.
El Galo used his early speed to grab the lead and open up a big gap down the back straight, but Kendale Bale chased down the tiring leader, crossing the line in 30.00 seconds.
Graeme Bate has two dogs chasing his fourth Melbourne Cup, with Velocette a fancied chance from box seven, and Amity Bale considered an outside chance from box six.
The David Burnett-trained Teaman Titch rounds out the field, while Thompson holds both reserves, with Proven Polly — who ran second behind Made To Size — and Wanalta Chief waiting in the wings.
The Melbourne Cup is race eight and will be run at 9.40pm, with the winner to take home $175,000.