Banjo Tifia enters the race on the back of a tough outing at Bulli on Saturday night, where she finished sixth after a slow start.

O'Brien has prepared the greyhound for Wollongong-based Pale Ale Syndicate and while he acknowledges the semi-final will be a tough race, he's hopeful Banjo Tifia will get to the front early.

"She's got to really jump and be up front at the first turn," O'Brien said. "It's not going to be easy, the last couple of runs haven't started well, but we're there.

"She feels good, she's happy and healthy, she pulled up okay from the Bulli run. She's drawn box two, which suits her. It's a very hard race, it's going to be difficult, but we're in there with a chance."

The winner of each of the eight semi-finals will progress to next week's Million Dollar Chase final.

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