Recent Bendigo Cup winner Alpha Zulu is favourite to break Jason Thompson’s surprising hometown cup hoodoo in the $87,000 Group 2 Sportsbet Cranbourne Cup (515m) at Sandown Park on Thursday night.

Remarkably, the Cranbourne Cup, which wasn’t held in 2022 and has been transferred to Sandown this year due to the current track closure, is the only Victorian country cup to have eluded the champion Pearcedale trainer.

Brilliant youngster Alpha Zulu (Box 2), winner of 14 of his 19 starts, is Sportsbet’s $2.45 favourite to claim back-to-back cups after brilliantly winning the G2 Sportsbet Bendigo Cup (425m) earlier in October.

Alpha Zulu’s high-profile ownership group features Brisbane Lions great Jonathan Brown, media identity Steve Crawley and Thompson’s wife Seona.

Thompson also has a ‘second stringer’ in Navarino (Box 6), a $26 outsider.

Brooke Ennis also qualified two finalists, with powerhouse dual G1 winner Amron Boy (Box 7) the fastest of last Thursday’s seven heat winners, his 29.11sec qualifying effort edging out Alpha Zulu’s 29.15sec.

Ennis’ second contender is G1 Maturity Classic winner Launch Code (Box 3).

Despite an unfavourable outside draw, Amron Boy is the $5 second elect, with Launch Code $9.50.

Peter and Natalie Presutto also have two finalists, with ‘super mum’ Idolize (Box 1) continuing her amazing return to racing after producing a litter of pups to former superstar Shima Shine, while Exalted (Box 4) claimed his fifth win from his last six starts to advance to his first Group event.

Idolize, whose first Group victory came almost two years ago, in the G2 Laurels in December 2021, is $6, with Exalted $26.

The only heat winner not coming from the Thompson, Ennis or Presutto kennels was Big Energy (Box 8), trained by Jackie Greenough, which has the fastest PB of the finalists – a near-record 28.93sec – and shares the second line of betting at $5.

Fred Rose (Box 5), prepared by Jeff Chignell, qualified as the fastest runner-up after being edged out by Alpha Zulu, his 29.152sec effort in defeat quicker than five heat winners and he’s also a single figure chance at $8.

The Cranbourne Cup Final is race 8 at 9.34pm on Thursday.

POINTS OF INTEREST

• Two trainers have two Cranbourne Cup finalists: Jason Thompson – Alpha Zulu (Box 2) & Navarino (Box 6); Brooke Ennis – Launch Code (Box 3) & Amron Boy (Box 7).
• ‘Team Presutto’ (Peter & Natalie), from Devon Meadows, also has two finalists – Idolize (Box 1) & Exalted (Box 4). The Presuttos have finished fifth in the Cranbourne Cup on two occasions – Reckoning (2018) and Vital Force (2020).
• Andrea Dailly is the most recent trainer to quinella the race – Pastrana Bale & Sun Hero in 2005. She has also won the Cranbourne Cup with Pororoca (2006), Mossimo Bale (2018) and Jax Bale (2021).
• There are three female trainers in this year’s final – Brooke Ennis (Launch Code and Amron Boy); Natalie Presutto (Exalted); Jackie Greenough (Big Energy) – Box 8.
• Jackie Greenough, from Pearcedale, won the 2020 Cranbourne Cup with Often Imitated. Her husband, Kel, saluted with Avondale Porche in 2015.
• In a statistical quirk, champion Pearcedale trainer Jason Thompson has never won his ‘hometown cup’ – albeit this year’s series is conducted at Sandown Park due to a track closure. However, Thompson has finished runner-up with Hotshow Jackson (2003) and Equalizer (2021), and third with Awesome Assassin (1997), Whodat Knockin’ (2015) and Squiggle Keeping (2021). His wife, Seona, trained Poke The Bear when he finished third in 2018 and second in 2019.
• In the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ during the past 20 Cranbourne Cups, the males lead the females 15-5. There is only one female in this year’s final – Idolize.
• Seven of the past 20 Cranbourne Cup winners have been favourites. The shortest-priced winner in that period is Pororoca ($1.60), with the longest-priced winner being Crackerjack Choc ($26) in 2017.
• Pororoca ($5.20) holds the race record – 29.680sec.
• Stud supremo Fernando Bale is the sire of three Cranbourne Cup finalists this year – Launch Code, Exalted and Fred Rose (Box 5).
• Orson Allen – 2019 Cranbourne Cup winner – is the sire of Alpha Zulu.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION

• Watch the racing LIVE and FREE on the Watchdog App.
• Radio coverage and expert analysis from GRV’s Gerard Guthrie on RSN Racing & Sport (927 AM).
• Social media coverage on GRV Facebook, GRV Instagram and Watchdog Racing X.