TRAINER Jan Finneran was surprised that Blue Punisher downed a FFA field at Albion Park on Thursday night, but now will up the ante on the much improved galloper.Blue Punisher (Saintly Crew-Bonnie Shiraz) ran 30.33 to win the FFA by a half length over Token Jet with a length and a quarter to Wongawillisue in third.Blue Punisher will now run in next week’s Group 1 Brisbane Cup heats.“Tonight’s win was a surprise,” said Finneran. “I thought Token Jet would win but we were lucky to get the drop on him.”Blue Punisher and kennelmate Heap’s Fast have earned their place in the heats of the Cup. They are among the seven dogs in the Finneran kennel.Blue Punisher took his record to 15 wins and 12 placings from 37 starts. Finneran said she could not believe the improvement in Blue Punisher in recent weeks. “He’s been a different dog since we have kept him close to us in the car on the way to races,” she said.“He’s also a real dynamo. He’s 28.5 kilos ringing wet.”While Blue Punisher came off the two dog to win Thursday night’s top grade, Finneran believes the dog is best suited from a wide draw.“Just look at his run tonight,” said Jan. “He headed out early, then switched back to the fence in the middle of the race and again came wide in the home straight.”

MONDAY NOVEMBER 20
BEST BET: Saintys Flyer (T2 6.18 Walthamstow)
TODAY'S BANKER: Ballynok Ace (T1 8.30 Crayford)
TODAY'S TREBLE: Cheeky Again (T5 10.00 Crayford)
Monday's programme kicks off with twelve races apiece from Swindon (11.03 to 1.51) and Sheffield (11.11 to 2.03). These no sooner end than Monmore (2.08 to 6.11) and Walthamstow (2.18 to 6.18) take over with a fourteen race card apiece.
For this Monday's best bet we wait for the closing contest on the Walthamstow programme. This is an A5 contest for which Saintys Flyer (T2 6.18), who possesses useful early pace and rarely fails to lead, is fancied to make every inch of the running.
There's only one open race to talk about this evening and that's a 540-metre event being staged at Crayford. The selection here is the well drawn Ballynok Ace (T1 8.30) who has shown excellent early pace in previous efforts over this course and distance and is taken to make all.
There's a top graded hurdles contest on the card, the H1 event is due off at 10.00 and promises to be a cracker. Most of these have been contesting open race contests of late and Cheeky Again (T5), who has good form over both distances here, can come out on top in a competetive heat.

QUEENSLANDER Category One put up a mammoth performance to win his heat of the Young Star Classic at Cannington on Saturday night.And owner-trainer John Jeffrey believes his dog has a huge chance of taking out the Group 3 final this Saturday night.This is despite the dog running a slow 31.50 in his heat and coming up with box four in the $20,000 to the winner final."You had to see the run to believe it," said Jeffrey who flew to Perth to handle his dog in the heat."He was checked at the start, and then run off at the first turn."He was giving the leader eight lengths in the back straight and I thought he was 100-1 to win at that stage."But Category One (Token Prince-Cyclone Chrissy) stormed home and despite being pushed very wide on the home turn, got up in the last stride to win."The one to beat is Cape Ozy who had already won the All Stars at Cannington and has drawn well in the final," said Jeffrey."But there is not a dog in the final my bloke cannot beat. And he has had three starts from box four, won two and finished second in the other."He likes to be boxed in the even numbers."While Category One ran only 31.50 to win his heat, and Taylah Monelli ran the quickest at 30.65, Jeffrey points out his dog trialled in 30.46 before the heats."He can win," he said. "He's a four or five to one chance at the best."Quidame bounced back to her best with a stylish Summer Cup heat victory at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.Trainer Tony Brett was disappointed with the Flying Penske-Sheza Swifty bitch's performance when unplaced in the Hume Cup final the previous Monday night in Melbourne."I don't normally back her up like I did this week, but the race was there and she goes so well at Wenty," he said.But Brett will ease up on Quidame, win, lose or draw after the final this Saturday night."I want to give her a short break then set her for the Sale Cup over 650m and then the New Years Gift over 600m at The Meadows," he said.Quidame has drawn box five in the final but that does not concern Brett."We've won a lot of good races from box five, including the Topgun with Black Enforcer," he said."And her first section was easily a couple of lengths better than the other heat."She got tired at the finish but she has been doing a bit of travelling which had to catch up with her."A week at home this week will top her right off for the final."

VETERAN trainer Ted Le Man is riding the crest of a winning wave and reckons he deserves a Group 1 try.Ted’s smart galloper Lincoln Stanley led throughout to win a 520m 4th Grade at Albion Park on Thursday night scoring by three and three-quarter lengths over Yatala Zappa with eight and a quarter lengths to Penny Prushka in third.The winner ran 30.37 and now Ted is looking to give his dog a thorough test.“They might think I’m mad, but I’m going to head him towards the Group 1 Brisbane Cup in December,” said Ted.Lincoln Stanley took his record to 14 wins from 48 starts with victory on Thursday night.Le Man bought the dog for $1500 just a year ago and in 30 races for Ted, Lincoln Stanley has earned $30,000.“He’s been such a wonderful dog for me,” said Ted.“But he’s the sort of dog that puts so much into his races that I need to space his runs more than most.“I probably won’t come back here for two weeks, but the Brisbane Cup is an option.”Le Man rates his dog the best he has trained.Lincoln Stanley was also his first Albion Park Thursday night winner in almost 10 years.“The last Thursday night winner I trained was Hanson Domino and I think it was about 10 years ago,” he said.Lincoln Stanley gave nothing else a chance and lived right up to his wrap as the “bet of the night” when scoring effortlessly.