Litter brothers Tornado Tears and Rippin’ Sam, the favourites to win next week’s RSN Sandown Cup (715m), are drawn in the same heat on Thursday night at 8.52pm.
With four heats to be run, greyhounds need to finish first or second to qualify for next week’s $250,000 final.
Tornado Tears is the $1.70 favourite to win Race 6 on Thursday ahead of Rippin’ Sam at $2, while they are marked at $2.40 and $3.10 respectively to win the Sandown Cup final.
Rippin’ Sam, a Group 1 winner, is the more accomplished of the pair, while Tornado Tears’ one and only staying attempt saw him run within half a length of Miata’s 715m track record at Sandown.
Much has been spoken about the duo in the lead up to their first ever contest against each other.
“I have no idea which one will win, but we’ll find out tonight who is the better stayer,” trainer Robert Britton said.
Co-trainer Brendan Pursell said the pair had contrasting racing patterns.
“In his past three starts, Tornado Tears has turned into a brilliant beginner, so he’ll make his own luck, whereas Rippin’ Sam gets well back in his races and comes home like a train,” Pursell said.
“Tornado Tears dropped back to the middle distance trip in his past two starts, because he’s not a seasoned stayer just yet and Robert didn’t want to risk flattening him heading into the Sandown Cup. But it’s a different story with Rippin’ Sam. He has run over 700 metres four times in the past month or so and he pulls up well every time. He’s so strong…I reckon he could race over 900 metres.”
Tornado Tears has had just 15 starts for eight wins and earned $52,070 in prize money, while Group 1 Galaxy winner Rippin’ Sam has raced on 25 occasions for 12 wins and amassed $221,995.
They were the fastest winners over the 595m and 715m respectively in last Thursday night’s Speed Star spectacular.
The brothers are February 2016 sons of Fernando Bale and Tears Siam who were bred in NSW by Michael Ivers, a renowned breeder of quality stayers for many years.
TAB is projecting First 4 pools of $20,000 across all 12 races at Sandown Park on Thursday night, which also includes four heats of both the Group 1 Harrison-Dawson (515m) and Group 1 Sapphire Crown (515m), for male and female greyhounds respectively.
