Master staying conditioner Robert Britton will target a third Sandown Cup courtesy of First Picked ($9.90), who defeated last year’s winner Untapped ($8.80) by 0.5L in 41.74sec – the fastest of four heats of the Group 1 Sportsbet Sandown Cup (715m) on Thursday night.

Britton has won the race with Fanta Bale (2017) and Tornado Tears (2018).

In fact, in 2018, Britton trifectaed the race with Tornado Tears’ litter brother Rippin’ Sam (2^nd) and Quick Jagger (3^rd).

First Picked – winner of this year’s G1 Galaxy at Cannington in Perth and a finalist in last year’s G1 Topgun Stayers at The Meadows – will chase a $175,000 first prize in the Sandown Cup final on Friday, May 26.

A winner of 13 races from 42 starts, First Picked (Oct ’20 Benali x Erelda Bale) notched her fourth win from six starts over the ‘half mile’ at SP.

Meanwhile, other Sandown Cup heat highlights were:

*** Dirt Farmer – a younger full brother of staying legend Tornado Tears, raced his way into a first Group race final. Trained by Tim Britton – Robert’s son – Dirt Farmer ($9.00) accounted for Osprey Athena ($7.10) by 1.2L in 42.08sec.

*** Untapped, prepared by Dustin Drew, obtains her chance to emulate successive winners Paul’s Thunder (1970/71), Lizrene (1972/73), Irma Bale (2012/13) and Sweet It Is (2014/15). But the ‘daddy of ’em all’ is the immortal “Warrnambool Warrior”, Bold Trease, who won an amazing four Sandown Cups in a row – 1986/89.

*** Cawbourne Magic has an opportunity to become only the fourth NSW stayer to win the Sandown Cup in the past 25 years. Trained by Anthony Lord, Cawbourne Magic ($3.90) defeated the Brendan Pursell-trained Moraine Suzie ($4.50) by 1.8L in 41.81sec.

NSW winners in the period mentioned above are Best Quoted (2005), Smart Attitude (1999) and Red Mystique (1998).

*** Pursell won the 2020 Sandown Cup with Bronski Beat. He also finished third with Peppertide in 2019.

• *** Korda ($2.20F), trained by Jeffrey Britton, lowered the boom on NSW sensation Zipping Orlando ($2.50) – prepared by icon John Finn. Korda defeated Zipping Orlando by 3.7L and semaphored 41.75sec.
  He may not have the ultimate Sandown Cup record of his older brother, Robert, but consider the following: 2022 Mepunga Ruby (7^th), 2021 Tyler Durden (3^rd), 2020 True Detective (2^nd), 2014 Mepunga Tiara (3^rd) and 2009 Lady Moscato (3^rd). Does he deserve a piece of Sandown Cup silverware on the mantelpiece is surely a rhetorical question!

*** Finn will be hoping to erase the memory of the 2019 Sandown Cup when he had three finalists – littermates Poco Dorado (4^th), Blue Moon Rising (5^th) and Two Times Twice (6^th).

WATCH: FIRST PICKED (B4) nabs UNTAPPED (B7) – last year’s Sandown Cup winner – in a heat of this year’s series.

Heat winners
(fastest to slowest)
First Picked – 41.74sec
Korda – 41.75sec
Cawbourne Magic – 41.81sec
Dirt Farmer – 42.08sec