The inaugural $4.1 million world’s richest Sportsbet Dream Chasers Festival moves into ‘pistol-smoking’ mode at Sandown Park this Saturday night.

Four sprinting ‘sharpshooters’, who have amassed a staggering $4,136,615 in prizemoney, will strive to be ‘fastest on the draw’ in the Group 3 Shootout (515m).

In what is sure to be a fascinating face-off, the quartet is chasing a $50,000 ‘bounty’.

The second, third and fourth placegetters ‘ride out of town’ with $7500 each.

KEY TIMES

6:40pm First race
7:38pm First of eight Melbourne Cup preludes
8:00pm Race 5 (first leg of Quaddie)
9:25pm $72,500 Group 3 Shootout (Race 9)
10:28pm Last race (Race 12)

The field comprises three members of the ‘millionaires club’ – Million Dollar Chase winners She’s A Pearl (Australia’s highest stakes earner) and McInerney, along with dual Group 1 winner and inaugural The Phoenix victor Wow She’s Fast – and Group 1 Topgun hero Photo Man.

Since its inception in 1998 – won by ‘wonder of the west’ Reggemite – Victorians have ‘shot the lights out’ winning 19 Shootouts, including the past seven.

And the ‘Big V’ is poised to continue its dominance – given it has three runners in the four-greyhound field including ‘wonder woman’ Wow She’s Fast (Box 3), Sportsbet’s $1.70 favourite.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
– Racing.com will cover every race, every story, and every moment from 6.30pm with Gareth Hall, George Farrugia, Molly Haines, and James Van de Maat
– Watch the racing LIVE and FREE on the Watchdog App
– Behind-the-scenes insights on GRV Facebook, @WatchDogRacing Twitter and @greyhoundracingvic Instagram
– Regular updates with Trent Langskaill on RSN Racing and Sport (927 AM)
– Catch Troy Little and Brent Zerafa from 6.15pm on racing.com for extra analysis on Shootout night.

Trained by Jackie Greenough, Wow She’s Fast has won 15 races from 22 starts – including 10 from 12 at Sandown Park. She also has clocked a scintillating 28.82sec (second-fastest time ever over 515m on the circuit) winning the Group 1 Sapphire Crown on May 19 this year.

McInerney (Box 7), prepared by Brendan Pursell, and Photo Man (Box 5), trained by Gavin Clifton, are $13 and $23 respectively but are high-calibre counterparts. Only last week, Photo Man came into the Group 1 Topgun as a reserve and defeated McInerney.

But the ‘fly in the ointment’ could well be New South Wales sprint diva She’s A Pearl (Box 1) – a winner of 25 from 38 – who is rated a $2.25 chance. The Group 1 Golden Easter Egg winner, prepared by Jodie Lord, is making her Sandown Park debut but has freakish ability.

The Shootout meeting, and the remaining three nights of the Dream Chasers Festival, will be showcased nationally on free-to-air television on Racing.com, as well as Foxtel’s channel 529, through a ground-breaking partnership between GRV and Victorian Thoroughbred Racing Pty Ltd.

POINTS OF INTEREST

SANDGROPER WINS FIRST EDITION
The inaugural 1998 Shootout went to the ‘wild, wild, west’ when Reggemite – trained by Victorian Allan Britton – defeated Golden Butter (NSW) and Time Framer (VIC).

CAVALCADE OF CHAMPIONS
The Shootout honour roll comprises high-profile ‘gunslingers’ Bombastic Shiraz (2003), Whisky Assassin (2004), Xylia Allen (2013), Hooked On Scotch (2019), Tiggerlong Tonk (2020) and Aston Rupee (2021).

SHOOTOUT V-DAYS
Victorian sprinters have been victorious in 19 of 24 Shootouts, including the past seven; followed by New South Wales (2), Queensland (1), South Australia (1) and Western Australia (1).

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE
Three Shootout runners this year, She’s A Pearl ($1,367,970), Wow She’s Fast ($1,178,370) and McInerney ($1,165,270), have cracked the ‘magical million’ stakes barrier. In fact, She’s A Pearl recently claimed Australia’s highest prizemoney earner mantle over all-time great Fanta Bale ($1,365,175).

BATTLE OF THE SEXES
This year, it’s Wow She’s Fast and She’s A Pearl pitted against McInerney and Photo Man. However, males have won 23 Shootouts while the fairer sex have a sole success – Xylia Allen (2013).

SHOUT OUT FOR A SHOOTOUT STAR
Aston Dee Bee – one of two Shootout winners in 2018 – is the sire of She’s A Pearl and Photo Man.

FAVOURITES FIREPOWER
Race favourites have won 13 of the past 20 Shootouts, with the shortest-priced being Hooked On Scotch ($1.30) in 2019. (The longest-priced winner is Tiggerlong Tonk ($6.50) in 2020, who set a race record of 29.03sec.).

ONE OUT OF THE BOX
Somewhat surprisingly, the ‘yellow’ (Box 5) has produced 10 Shootout winners – followed by the ‘white’ (Box 3) with seven, including four of the past five, then the ‘red’ (Box 1) with four and the ‘black’ (Box 7) with three.

Group 3 SHOOTOUT (515m)
Sandown Park Race 9, Saturday 9:25pm
Total prizemoney $72,500 (First prize $50,000)
1 SHE’S A PEARL (Jodie Lord, Gunning NSW)
3 WOW SHE’S FAST (Jackie Greenough, Pearcedale VIC) 📷
5 PHOTO MAN (Gavin Clifton, Tynong North VIC)
7 McINERNEY (Brendan Pursell, Lara VIC)
Reserves
9 AMRON BOY  SCRATCHED
10 DEADLY CLASS  SCRATCHED

Click HERE  for Sportsbet’s latest market on the Shootout

RECENT SHOOTOUT WINNERS

2012 Proven Nitro (Jason Thompson, Pearcedale VIC)
2013 Xylia Allen (Jenny Hunt, Teesdale VIC)
2014 Iva Vision (Peter Young, Morayfield QLD)
2015 Kayda Shae (Kelly Bravo, Freshwater Creek VIC)
2016 Zambora Brockie (Anthony Azzopardi, Rowsley VIC)
2018 Aston Dee Bee (Seona Thompson, Pearcedale VIC) [JAN]
2018 Orson Allen (Correy Grenfell, Anakie VIC) [NOV]
2019 Hooked On Scotch (Jason Thompson, Pearcedale VIC)
2020 Tiggerlong Tonk (Correy Grenfell, Anakie VIC)
2021 Aston Rupee (Glenn Rounds, Devon Meadows VIC) 📷

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