Superstar New Zealand import Postman Pat is odds-on to ‘deliver’ champion trainer Jason Thompson a sixth victory in the $1 million Group 1 Brisbane Cup (520m) at Albion Park on Friday night.
Australian greyhound racing’s new headline act extended his unbeaten run since crossing ‘the ditch’ to seven straight – all Best Of Meeting performances – when setting the qualifying standard in last Thursday’s Cup heats.
Postman Pat secured his 17th victory from 21 starts with a flying 29.53sec heat victory, blousing fellow Vic Amron Boy (29.55sec) for time honours.
Both Postman Pat’s appearances at Albion Park have resulted in runaway BON romps, after he won a Cup prelude by almost a dozen lengths in a near-record 29.39sec one week earlier.
WATCH: “It’s the Trans-Tasman superstar!” POSTMAN PAT (B8) is the fastest qualifier for Friday night’s G1 Brisbane Cup Final after a BON 29.53sec heat victory, his seventh straight win since arriving in Australia.
The ex-Kiwi is a December ’20 son of Jason Thompson’s dual G1 winner Hooked On Scotch, which ran fifth to kennelmate Black Opium in the 2020 Brisbane Cup decider.
Thompson’s other four Brisbane Cup winners are Uno Joel (2007), El Galo (2008), Got A Moment (2012) and Equalizer (2021).
“Postman Pat isn’t really a replica of any of the other winners, but I suppose he’s a bit El Galo-like in that they’re both high speed dogs,” Thompson said.
Postman Pat exited box eight in his dominant heat victory and has again drawn ‘the pink’ – from where he’s unbeaten in two attempts – for Friday’s $650,000 to-the-winner Cup (race 8, 8.43pm), with Sportsbet installing him $1.85 favourite.
“It’s a bit skinny, but he’s the fastest dog from the heats and he’s drawn his box,” Thompson said.
“He is a dog that box eight is his preferred draw and I like the fact that he’s got the same box as he had in his heat.
“I was really happy with what he did last week. He didn’t begin great – he’s shown he can do that – but he was able to get a nice, clear run on the outside and still won convincingly and ran the best time in the heats.
“He hasn’t really surprised me with what he’s done since we’ve had him. From his trials we knew he was pretty good and after watching his videos I always thought he was going to be better suited when he got to ‘500’.
“What has surprised me is that every time you give him a test he passes it.
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“He’s got to be the one to beat, but in saying that, he has to do everything right.
“I wouldn’t swap him for anything else in the race and I wouldn’t swap the draw either!”
Three Victorian-trained sprinters will line up in the first $1 million edition of the Brisbane Cup, with powerhouse Amron Boy, trained by Jamie and Brooke Ennis, and Jeff Britton’s aptly-named 102-start veteran Mepunga Warrior qualifying in 29.55sec and 30.01sec, respectively.
Dual G1 winner Amron Boy (box 7), chasing a sixth straight win, is the $6 second elect, while Mepunga Warrior (box 2) is a $24 outsider.
Friday shapes as a bumper night for Thompson, who also has a massive opinion of two potential stars contesting feature finals at Bendigo.
Got Attitude (box 4), winner of seven from 12, will line up in the $22,295 Listed Mark Hughes Foundation Prospector Final (425m).
Tim Zoo (box 2) will be looking to deliver a ‘knockout’ in the $15,425 Mannings Greyhounds Maiden Final (425m) after a blistering BON 23.58sec heat victory on debut.
“Got Attitude’s box manners aren’t great at the moment but he’s an unbelievable chaser – he really puts in!” said Thompson.
“He reminds me a lot of Unleash Collinda at the same stage. If anything, he’s probably going a bit better than Unleash Collinda was.
“It was no surprise what Tim Zoo did. He’s got a big motor and has shown us plenty – not that we’ve done a lot with him. He’s a very nice dog and hopefully he’ll just keep improving.”
