Glover Confident Of Strong Eric Thomson Showing

BREEDER/owner Tony Glover will not concede Thursday night's Eric Thomson Memorial Maiden final (520m) at Albion Park to raging hot favourite and fastest qualifier Stanton Warrior.

Glover has the Jemma Daley-trained Hara's Hunter drawn in box seven for the final and he believes the dog will be greatly improved on his heat second when narrowly beaten by Storm Away in 30.44.

Glover also had Hara's Betty (Barcia Bale-Hara's Annie) in the race but she hurt a metacarpal in her heat win and will be scratched from the final.

“I believe (Hara's) Hunter will lead and he will strip a great deal fitter for the run in last week's heat,” Glover said.

“He went into the heats very underdone and he was a bit slow out of the boxes which is not normally him. I expect him to lead and be hard to run down.

“He will improve out of sight.”

FIELDS AND FORM ALBION PARK THURSDAY NIGHT

Stanton Warrior was sensational in his heat win running 29.85, scoring by almost 12 lengths. He has come up with the three in the final the same draw he won his heat from.

“Of course he is the one to beat,” said Glover of Stanton Warrior.

“But my bloke is well boxed out in the seven.

“He's had a few niggling injuries coming up. We had looked at sending him to the July Maiden at Grafton but decided to get him fitter and wait for this series.”

Hara's Hunter was trained early in his career by the late Mike Stephenson who declared him a Grafton Maiden hope.

“Unfortunately ‘Tricky' died,” Glover said.

“Let's hope Hara's Hunter can win this series in his memory.”

Stephenson trained Group winner Hara's Panda for Glover and was behind his entry into greyhound racing some years ago.

Hara's Panda has blistering early pace and Glover says Hara's Hunter has been running first sectionals the equal of that Group winner.

“That's why I know he can lead the final on Thursday night,” he said.

The winner of Thursday night's finale will take home $14,000.