Hot favourite Burn One Down confirmed his status as Australia’s number one stayer at The Meadows on Saturday with a runaway victory in the Group 1 Zoom Top (725m), the first of three invitation events that headlined the opening night of the Australian Cup Carnival.

It was Burn One Down’s first victory at Group 1 level, with Jason Thompson’s freakishly talented son of Buck Fever producing as dominant a performance as you would see in elite company.

Thompson’s wife Seona said the victory was especially satisfying with the superstar’s owner/breeders, the Pringle family (pictured above with Burn One Down and Jason Thompson), making the long but rewarding journey from central NSW.
“The owners have come all the way down from Orange in NSW so that makes it all the more special,” she said.

Burn One Down stifled betting on the $75,000 to-the-winner Zoom Top, starting at $1.30 from box two, and the prohibitive quote proved to be spot on as he treated the best distance gallopers in the land with contempt.

After beginning well, Burn One Down pushed through to be sitting ominously in second place behind It’s A Bird with one lap to go.

Burn One Down pounced on the lead in the back straight and exploded clear, powering to the line as he defeated kennelmate Trip To Eden ($11.30) by an ever-widening nine lengths in 42.23sec, giving champion mentor Thompson a memorable Group 1 quinella.

Outsider Jaimandy Hatty ($30.40) ran third, completing a Victorian trifecta.

The Zoom Top was Burn One Down’s 22nd win from 37 starts and enhanced his sensational record over 725m at The Meadows to eight wins from nine appearances, with the promise of more to come over the next fortnight in the Group 1 Super Stayers.

“He loves racing at The Meadows and was presented with the (2016) Greyhound of the Year award tonight so this is very fitting,” Seona said.

“He bounces around every time we bring him here and we will bring him back next week for the heats of the Super Stayers and then take him to Traralgon after that for the last leg of the Gippsland Carnival.”