Shima Shine lights up Brisbane Cup heats

By Isaac Murphy

The TAB Brisbane Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival is reaching its crescendo.

Last night’s card was possibly the most impressive on the Albion Park calendar, with three heats of the Group 1 Queensland Cup for the stayers followed by five heats of the Group 1 Brisbane Cup for the sprinters.

In a fascinating night of chasing, some familiar faces booked their spot in next week’s big dance, with some new prospects keen to knock them off for Group One glory.

Shima Shine lights up Brisbane Cup heats

The special talent that is Shima Shine was on full display in his heat of the Group 1 Brisbane Cup on Thursday night.

Andrea Dailly’s champion chaser has given himself a shot at a second consecutive Brisbane Group 1 after his Gold Bullion triumph earlier this year.

The heat was a heavyweight clash, with Shima Shine coming up against the Jason Thompson-trained Aston Fastnet who’d wowed with a 29.62 trial the week before.

It was Shima Shine who took control of the race early, moderately served as he usually is, he showed unmatched acceleration to get across from box seven to sit second around the first turn, going through the gears on the way to a comfortable victory.

The dog has come up with the same draw for the Final and will deservedly go around an odds-on pop given his outstanding career record at Albion Park.

He maps to get a good trail into the race, Music Event in the six has plenty of box speed and should help him to sit right on the heels of the leaders as he did in his heat.

Shima Shine’s legacy is already cemented as one of Australia’s best ever sprinters, but if he’s able to win the Brisbane Cup next week he’d enter the next stratosphere of greyhounds joining the million dollar club and it’s hard to bet against him.

Strength the great Equalizer for Thompson

There’s something special about a get back run on sprinter and Jason Thompson’s freakish talent Equalizer showed his rivals how it's done last night tearing away for a four-length victory.

With plenty of early speed in the Brisbane Cup Final, he could find trouble in the run but watch him launch late if he’s anywhere near them.

“He doesn’t need and help in the strength department this dog, but it looked like a rain affected track up there and he just powered through the going and put a space on them,” Thompson said.

“He’s a professional race dog and when he came up with box two last night, we expected him to put himself in a winning position going down the back and as he usually does, he got it spot on.

“We would’ve loved the one or two in the Final but drawing the four is a lot better than coming up with the eight, we’re stoked he’s in the Final and pretty confident he’ll give them a scare.”

Cooper Dooper keeps Cup hopes alive

Cooper Dooper caused the upset of the night in heat four of the Brisbane Cup, the veteran getting the best of a roughhouse affair to the first corner, before denying Flying Amy runner-up Do It in the late stages to score at $41 for Tom Tzouvelis.

The dog's always been a classy animal but at nearly four years old, no-one expected him to produce a performance from his prime.

“He’s been going more than alright at home, but constantly in tough races with bad draws he just hasn’t been coming out well enough to compete on a consistent basis,” Tzouvelis said.

“He bucked the trend last night when he was away well from the red and when he was able to hold them out at the turn you knew you were going to be right in it then.

“It’s a remarkable renaissance for the dog, a couple of months ago we were counting down the days until he was eligible for Masters and now, he’s in the biggest sprint race on our calendar.”

He has the monumental task of overcoming box eight and a Group 1 field next Thursday, but Tzouvelis and connections are just enjoying the ride.

“It’s going to be an almighty task to run in the first few from box eight, it’s never been his go and in a Group 1 final he’ll find it pretty tough, but we’re so proud of him for being there,” he said.

“The owners are rapt, after he did a stopper tendon in the Lismore Cup last year, we didn’t expect to see him in a race like this and everything has been a bonus since then.

“He was at the peak of his powers when he injured that stopper and missed out on a lot of Group races, but what an achievement to be able to look back and say he was a part of this field.”

Tenacious Tasmanian up for the fight

Premier Tasmanian chaser Wynburn Sheean got off to a rocky start in Queensland, tailing off in his first-up run three weeks ago, giving caretaker trainer Tony Brett cause for concern.

It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish, and Brett has engineered a remarkable turnaround which culminated in a brave win in last night’s Brisbane Cup Heats.

A noted front-runner, it was always going to be tough on the dog in rainy conditions, but he burnt them off early and defied a challenge from Western Australian Wise Thunder in the run to the line.

The dog has the ideal draw for the Final, coming up with box two again as he shoots for four straight wins in Queensland and a chance to elevate himself to superstar status.

His record in Tasmania is second to none, an incredible 23 wins from 31 starts; he might not be the quickest dog in the field, but he can find the line.

On a dry track next week, he’s every chance of being the early leader and will take some running down when high balling on the bunny.

Kratzmann dares to dream with Land Down Under

Owner Clint Kratzmann hasn’t had to wait long to find the heir apparent to Oh Mickey.

Land Down Under was a last-minute call up for last night’s Brisbane Cup heats, sensationally beating a Group 1 field in his first ever 500-metre race.

The dog got a run when Jungle Deuce was forced to pull out and he took full advantage, and the dream’s not over yet for trainer Serena Lawrance and Kratzmann after Land Down Under drew the cherry in the Final.

“We were that close to taking him to Grafton for the Cup down there, he’s a little bit awkward at this stage of his development and we thought he’d go better there than rush him into a Queensland Cup, but thank god we did,” Kratzmann laughed.

“Serena gave him a post-to-post at Ipswich on Monday and he went 24.73, I gave Mick Zammit a call to get a reference point on how quick that was, and he said Sequana’s best was 24.81.

“They were calling for extra nominations and Serena and I had a bit of a joke we should have a throw at the stumps in the Brisbane Cup heats and when we heard there was one spot left, we pulled the trigger and with Jungle Deuce coming out he seized his chance.”

Kratzmann knew the dog was destined for big things but couldn’t believe how things had fallen into place.

“For a dog to have him first 500-metre race in a Group 1 and to come out and win it, I don’t think that would’ve happened too many times before,” he said.

“A race like the Brisbane Cup is something we would’ve been targeting in 2022 for him and he’s stepped up to the plate a year early.

“Anything is possible from the red in the Final, Oh Mickey was able to shock everyone winner the National Derby from the draw not being one of the main fancies and we’re hoping for another fairytale.”

Brockie Magic breaking hearts for the Burmans

All week leading up to heat one of the Queensland Cup, the talk was about the clash between New South Wales bitch Zipping Niseko and Victorian stayer Hank The Hustler.

However, in a shock result, it was Ray and Mary Burman’s Brockie Magic that ran them into the ground at just her second go over the 700.

The Queenslander doesn’t turn two until next month, but showed age was not a barrier making her maiden Group 1 final.

“She’s a bitch who doesn’t like to be crowded and that’s exactly what happened early in her first 700 a few weeks ago when she didn’t run it out, but like a lot of chasers put her straight on the bunny and she kept finding,” Mary Burman said.

“We were able to give her a run over the 600 on Monday night which I think was crucial for her confidence, she wasn’t out all that well, but we were worried about the run home, and it was excellent.

“I remember watching her first couple of runs in the Vince Curry Series where she was just a bit slow in the second split which is a sure sign of a stayer and here, we are in a Queensland Cup Final.”

Brockie Magic went off a $13 chance winning her heat, and will be even longer in the Final, but Burman is rapt to be a part of the big dance.

“We’ll carry the underdog tag into the Final, but we’re fine with that. Her time was only .17 off Maggie Moo Moo who went quickest in her heat, so she’s right there knocking on the door,” she said.

“She’s going to have to come out running again with Classy Ethics drawn inside her, we don’t want be to be run off at the first turn.

“We always had aspirations of featuring in these kinds of races and she’s probably done it quicker than we expected.”

Maggie and Mick’s Building a Healthy Rivalry

It was all about the locals in heat two of the Queensland Cup, with star stayers Maggie Moo Moo and Micks Recall pairing off in an enthralling battle for trainers Darren Johnstone and Jamie Hosking.

It was Group 3 Super Stayers winner Maggie Moo Moo who got the best of a photo finish, with the pair setting up a return bout in next week’s Final.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for Jamie’s bitch Mick’s Recall; I thought it would be the one to beat last night and it was a great battle between two Queenslanders, I was very happy we got the bob though,” Johnstone said.

“I was a little worried last night with the heavy track if she got too far back, she wouldn’t be able to make up the necessary ground, but she put herself in a beautiful spot just behind the speed.

“She’s been showing a lot of sustained speed in her trials but has just been drifting back in the field of late - really important next week as well she holds a forward spot.”

After a run of bad boxes when racing in New South Wales and Victoria, Maggie came up with the coveted red rug as she looks for the biggest win of her career.

“The box draw couldn’t have gone better, I don’t think she’ll lead from the one, but Classy Ethics likes to run off at the first turn and she should get plenty of room to find her feet early,” Johnstone said.

“Micks Recall is drawn exactly where she wants to be in box eight as well, I look at her as a massive danger and one to watch who’s improving is Bedrock Fred who worked home impressively last night.

“Winning the Group 3 Super Stayers was a big step last week, but we’re here for the Queensland Cup and she couldn’t be more ready for it.”

Sir Truculent closes in on maiden Group 1

When Sir Truculent comes to Queensland, regular trainer Wally Harkins said he has no problem handing the keys over to the Pride of South Australia.

The duo’s successful partnership grows with the dog a dominant winner in his Queensland Cup heat.

Harkins was confident the dog would improve second up after running third in the Super Stayers, it took him a run to find his feet when he won the Listed Gold Cup earlier this year and he stayed unbeaten second up.

Well away from box one, he tracked the pace early before taking over mid-race, with talented Victorian Five Star did his best to go with him, but only got within four lengths on him on the line.

The dog will have to deal with box five in the Final, but Harkins says his race sense is second to none and as long as he finds the rail at some point, he’s a huge threat to run on.

In a field with plenty of newcomers, Sir Truculent is the complete opposite, a winner of 38 races predominantly over the 700 metres, he’s going to feel right at home whether he surges forward or goes back.