Can ‘Torpedo’ sink ‘Ruby’?

[Wandering Eyes]

The ‘Bold Trease’ – Sandown GRC’s flagship staying feature – is named in honour of four-time Group 1 Sandown Cup winner, Bold Trease (1986-89).

Dubbed the “Warrnambool Warrior”, the immortal Bold Trease is a dual Hall of Fame member (AGRA and GRV) and recipient of the 1987 Victorian Greyhound of the Year award.

Metaphorically, Lara’s Robert Britton is a human equivalent of Bold Trease – a doyen when it comes to training stayers.

Ironically, Britton has prepared four Bold Trease winners – Cheetah Zorro (2013), Fanta Bale (2017), Barcali (2018) and Tornado Tears (2019). In fact, he quinellaed the race in 2013.

“He can run a strong ‘700’… But he’s a notch below my previous Bold Trease winners.”

And he’s now on a mission for a fifth Bold Trease trophy, hoping Torpedo Tears (Oct ’18 Fernando Bale x Tears Siam) – a younger full-brother of Tornado Tears – ‘blasts his rivals out of the water’ in the series.

Owned by John Hutchison – an MGRA director and renowned pet food guru (Eukanuba and Nutrience) – Torpedo Tears (Box 4) lines up in Heat 4 (Race 4, 7.38pm) of the Sportsbet Bold Trease (715m) on Saturday night.

Sportsbet has assessed him at $9.50 to win his heat, behind Mepunga Ruby ($1.75), and $67 ‘All in’ – again behind Mepunga Ruby ($4.00F) which is trained by Britton’s brother, Jeff, who won the Bold Trease with Cash Express (2007).

Incidentally, Mepunga Ruby ($1.90F) finished second in last year’s Bold Trease.

Torpedo Tears – a reserve for the 2022 G1 Galaxy (Cannington) and 2021 G1 Association Cup (Wentworth Park) – has started 54 times for 16 wins, 10 seconds and seven thirds. His stakes total $99,445.

Interestingly, Torpedo Tears clocked 42.06sec when third in a Galaxy heat, while Mepunga Ruby won a heat in 41.95sec – only two lengths quicker – before going on to finish second to WA staying sensation Mambo Monelli in the final.

Mepunga Ruby (41.44sec PB) and Torpedo Tears (42.07sec PB) are the only runners in their Bold Trease heat to have won over 715m at Sandown Park.

So, can ‘Torpedo’ sink ‘Ruby’?

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“Probably not,” came Britton’s succinct reply. “I’d love to think he could make the final, but I’m not overly excited this year.

“He can generally stay; he can run a strong ‘700’. And he can run 29.20sec over ‘500’ at Sandown, so he can sprint most of the way in a distance race.

“But he’s a notch below my previous Bold Trease winners.”

Britton was also keen to pay tribute to Bold Trease.

WATCH: TORPEDO TEARS (B7) produced an ‘explosive’ all-the-way win at Sandown Park on October 20.

“It’s just a freakish thing (four Sandown Cups), an amazing effort that probably will never be repeated. And to do it at the top level, he was an absolute champion.

“Every decade, there’s a dog you remember. But as time goes on, Bold Trease is always one you remember.”

Britton added that, particularly as a trainer of stayers, “in Victoria, you look to the Sandown Cup and Bold Trease as two great staying races to win”.

And he says there’s no real secret to training a stayer.

“You can’t make a greyhound stay that can’t stay. They need to be bred to stay.

“Anyone who tells you otherwise. Well, it’s not true. It’s more in their genetic make-up.”

Pawnote: The $4.1m Dream Chasers Festival also continues with eight phenomenal heats of the G1 Sportsbet Melbourne Cup (515m) on a star-studded program.

WATCH: The immortal BOLD TREASE claims the second (1987) of his amazing successive Sandown Cup ‘quartet’ (1986-89).

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