But Postman Pat kicked strongly to score by 1.19L in a fast 29.79sec, his second win from three starts at The Meadows, 10th win from 12 Australian runs and 20th from 26 overall.
“I thought he’d be able to hold him off, just,” handler Luke Thompson told Sky Racing’s Jason Adams post-race.
“Tinker Norm has been flying, but this boy is pretty special.”
Postman Pat, a son of Thompson’s dual G1 winner Hooked On Scotch, will be striving to break his champion trainer’s surprising National Championship hoodoo and give Victoria its first National Sprint title since the great Fernando Bale in 2015.
One race earlier, Zoha Bale, trained by Mark Delbridge, continued the dream start to his staying career, making it two from two over ‘700’ with a barnstorming victory in the Victorian National Distance Final (730m).
After a runaway 41.40sec long distance debut at Sandown Park, Zoha Bale, a son of The Meadows 525m record holder Allen Deed and litter brother to Melbourne Cup victor Yachi Bale, started $1.70 favourite from box two.
Zoha Bale began slowly and was third last with a lap to go.
But he cut loose in the back straight and swept to the front turning for home, powering to a 3.86L victory over last year’s Victorian Distance winner Moraine Suzie ($11.30) in a slick 42.34sec, his fifth straight win and 15th from 44 overall.
“I didn’t think he’d be that far back, but he’s definitely got a motor and he weaved his way through,” a delighted Delbridge said.
WATCH: New kid on the staying block ZOHA BALE (B2) stormed home to win the Victorian National Distance Final (730m) in 42.34sec.