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  • Thursday, 01 Jul, 2021,
  • by Peter Quilty

Britton eyes a G1 ‘hustle’ in Qld

Anakie trainer Jeff Britton is embarking on a two-dog G1 Brisbane Cup-Queensland Cup campaign that could ultimately nett him a cool $350,000.

Britton has Do It engaged in the Brisbane Cup heats (520m) and Hank The Hustler in the Queensland Cup heats (710m) tonight at Albion Park.

The finals on July 8 carry a $250,000 and $100,000 first prize respectively.

Last month, Do It ‘familiarised’ with the tricky Albion Park circuit. He was runner-up to NSW star Jungle Deuce in the G2 Flying Amy Classic.

Do It (Box 8) will meet Victorian counterpart and G1 Sapphire Crown winner Qwara Bale (Box 3) in Heat 4 of the Brisbane Cup – Race 7, 8.34pm. They are $5 and $3.10 respectively on TAB’s fixed odds market.

New sprint queen Qwara Bale holds a 2-0 record over Do It. Back in May, she won the G2 Warrnambool Cup, with Do It sixth, and followed up with a GR8 Eight win at Sandown Park, with Do It third.

“We’re really running for luck,” Britton said. “He acquitted himself well in the Flying Amy series and we know he has ability.

“But I think if he was at ‘home’, he would have gone better… He’s run 29.15sec at Sandown.

“Some dogs adapt better than others. If they’re not on their own turf, some dogs don’t go as well. It’s always a bit of the unknown when travelling interstate.”

Victoria has a ‘charge of the light brigade’ in the Brisbane Cup series, including dual G1 winners Shima Shine and Tiggerlong Tonk who share favouritism with Jungle Deuce at $5 in TAB’s ‘All In’ market.

Triple G1 finalist Equalizer, who snared a $25,000 first prize in last week’s Listed Super Sprinters at Albion Park, is quoted at $8 along with Qwara Bale who was second in that event.

WATCH: Hank The Hustler (1) nabs Zipping Rambo (4) right on the line in a GR8 Eight at Sandown Park last week.

Victorian counterpart Aston Fastnet is rated a $10 chance, with Do It at $12.

Britton is equally guarded on the prospects of Hank The Hustler (Box 7) in Heat 1 of the Queensland Cup – Race 1, 6.27pm – where he’s a $2.30 equal favourite with local champ Zipping Niseko (Box 8).

Hank The Hustler has won three of his last four starts including the Listed Cup Night Stayers and a narrow victory over G1 Sandown Cup hero Zipping Rambo in a GR8 Eight last week at Sandown Park.

“He’s not suited out wide given he doesn’t know the track… I just hope he qualifies for the final,” he said.

“Sometimes he comes home better if he gets behind and if he had a jockey on him, you’d be instructing to take it easy early.

“He was a bit stiff in terms of the heat he copped for the Sandown Cup. But he went the quickest time on Sandown Cup night.

“And his last run was terrific when he ran down Zipping Rambo in the teeming rain. I’m hoping he has fully recovered from that effort.”

The only other Victorian in the Queensland Cup heats is latest staying sensation Five Star (Box 3) who is a $2.20 favourite in Heat 3 – Race 3, 7.10pm.

Trained by Paul Abela, Five Star recently claimed the G3 Lizrene Speed Star at Sandown Park and the $75,000 to-the-winner Pink Diamond Champion Distance final at Bendigo.

Five Star and Hank The Hustler are $4 equal favourites in TAB’s ‘All In’ market.

WATCH: Do It (4) records a slick 29.29sec (Best) win at Sandown Park on June 3.

Peter QuiltyPeter Quilty

Peter Quilty

Peter Quilty has more than three decades of experience as assistant editor of Victorian Greyhound Weekly. He was editor of GRV monthly magazine The Adviser (2001-09) and owner/publisher of Australian Greyhound Monthly. He also served on the selection panel for the inaugural GRV ‘Hall of Fame’ inductees and for several years was an adjudicator on the Victorian GOTY. He’s also published greyhound racing yearbooks and wrote the ‘Bold Trease’ video script.

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