Jesaulenko entered the history books when he won the first race on the newly redeveloped Traralgon track last August, and on Saturday night the Gippsland sprinter is heading for the bright lights of the city when he contests a heat of the $355,000 Group 1 Australian Cup (525m).

The Australian Cup is one of the most prestigious races on the greyhound racing calendar, and is the main event within the rich $1.3M Australian Cup Carnival.

And, while Jesaulenko is rated the second favourite by form analyst The Watchdog at $5.00 in his heat, he faces the most monumental task in greyhound racing right now as he prepares to take on the best greyhound in the land, triple Group 1 winner, Dyna Double One ($1.70Fav).

The good news for Jesaulenko fans is that he enters the race with a fair amount of confidence, having recently recorded a narrow win over the classy Rare Pearl at Sandown Park two starts ago in the scintillating time of 29.13sec.

Drawn in Box 3 in Race 8 at 9:42pm on Saturday, Terri believes that “Jesaulenko will do really well…he is trialing brilliantly.”

The long drive from Traralgon won’t bother either of them according to Morris as Jesaulenko is not only the best dog she has ever trained over her seven-year training career, but also the most relaxed.

Terri, a committee member at the Traralgon TRC, also bred Jesaulenko.

“He was a part of the first litter that I bred. I’ve still got the two darlings Jesaulenko and litter sister Melody Pond. I sold one and my parents have the rest and all of them have won races so it has been really satisfying.”

“I only normally have a couple of dogs in my care. I like having a small amount because I get to spoil them. If I get too many I can’t do that”.

Now with 25 starts and having nine wins and eight placings, Jesaulenko is entering the prime of his career, and a win on Saturday night would be a dream come true for Terri.

“If he managed to win his heat, I would already feel like I’ve won the final. It would be a huge boost for the little trainers to prove you can do it if you stick with it and have a go yourself. It’s the daily grind and the whole package which gives you get a lot of satisfaction to show you that you can breed your own champion.”

THE MEADOWS FORMGUIDE

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WATCH: Jesaulenko (3) hangs on for a slick win at Sandown recently in 29.13sec over the talented Rare Pearl.