Lightly raced sprinter Panadero Warrior qualified for his first Group event in sensational style on Sunday night when producing the standout performance in the heats of the G2 Bendigo Cup (425m).

Panadero Warrior clocked a Best Of Night 23.48sec in the seventh of eight ‘must win’ Cup heats, three lengths outside Typhoon Sammy’s 23.28sec track record established in the 2021 Cup heats.

It was the January 2020 son of Barcia Bale and Time No Money’s eighth win from 17 starts, as he delivers on the potential Parwan trainer Paul Abela always knew was there.

“He tested my patience for a while, but some dogs just take time.”

“I was scratching my head when he only won one of his first five starts,” Abela said.

“If you take out those first five starts, he’s won seven from 12. He tested my patience for a while, but some dogs just take time.

“He went good last night, the boy. It didn’t surprise me at all, the time he ran.

WATCH: Promising sprinter PANADERO WARRIOR (B3) set the pace in Sunday night’s Group 2 Bendigo Cup heats with a commanding Best Of Night 23.48sec victory over TITAN BLAZER (B8).

“I was confident, without being over confident. I thought his last two runs at Geelong (winning heat and running second to Mepunga Mustang in final of Hugh Emmerson Memorial) were super.

“Drawing Box 6 for the final doesn’t worry me, but ‘the five’ (Shima Sheen) has good speed and stays up the track.

“I think Typhoon Sammy is probably drawn the best (Box 3) and he’ll be hard to beat but I’m confident with my bloke. He’s racing well and putting the time on the board.”

HEAT WINNERS (Fastest to slowest)

23.48sec Panadero Warrior
23.52sec Typhoon Sammy
23.67sec Salad Dodger
23.68sec Quinlan Bale
23.69sec Aston Merit
23.87sec Shima Sheen
23.89sec He’s No Slouch
23.96sec Orson Mick

Other highlights from Sunday night’s Cup heats included:

• Track record holder and 2021 Bendigo Cup placegetter Typhoon Sammy was the second quickest qualifier, clocking 23.52sec. Typhoon Sammy, trained by four-time Bendigo Cup winner Jason Thompson will be chasing a $50,000 bonus for winning three country cups in a calendar year, having already annexed the Traralgon and Horsham Cups.
• Jessica Sharp is the only trainer with multiple finalists, after snaring a heat double courtesy of Geelong Cup runner-up Aston Merit (23.69sec) and Orson Mick (23.96sec). There will be great emotion attached to Orson Mick’s first appearance in a Group event, as he’s named after part-owner David Hogarth’s brother Michael, who is battling Motor Neurone Disease.