Alpha Zulu wins Cranbourne Cup, firms for major races
Alpha Zulu notched up a second Group victory in less than a month when saluting in the Group 2 Cranbourne Cup final at Sandown Park on Thursday night.
Trained by Jason Thompson, Alpha Zulu was sent to the boxes in the 515m final as the +120 race favourite after winning three in a row, including the Group 2 Bendigo Cup.
After box rise, Idolize (+700) grabbed the early lead, but Alpha Zulu used the inside rail to cruise through and take control from the front.
He beat home Big Energy (+360) by 2.57 lengths in 29.35, with Fred Rose (+940) finishing in third.
Cranbourne Cup 2023 replay – Alpha Zulu (29.35) – T: Jason Thompson
The win made it four straight for the son of Orson Allen and Cyclone Jebel.
Armed with an impressive 95% podium rate, Alpha Zulu has only ever gone unplaced once in his 20-start career.
“Big win!” Alpha Zulu’s kennel handler, Luke Thompson, said after the race.
“We were hoping he would be leading or vying for the lead.
“After he missed the start, he had to dig deep to pull off the win, and he did.”
In the all-in markets for upcoming feature races, Alpha Zulu is race favourite in the Topgun on November 11, the Melbourne Cup on December 2, and The Phoenix on December 16.
“Futures markets are always fluctuating,” Thompson said.
“He’s definitely deserving of being at the top of the market.
“But it only takes another top dog to come out and perform really well, and the market will gravitate more towards that said greyhound.”
Alpha Zulu locked in his spot in the $1 million-to-the-winner Phoenix during the week, taken on by first-time slot holder Good Blokes Society.
“To be locked in this far out for the Phoenix is very nice,” Luke Thompson said.
“It means he doesn’t have to go out and win a big feature race in the next month to prove his worth.”
The running of the Cranbourne Cup also delivered a shock outcome, with the Brooke Ennis-trained Amron Boy pulling up after being checked turning out of the home straight.
He underwent a post-race veterinary examination and was found to have a left hind spike wound and a right long head tricep muscle injury.
This injury means the two-time Group 1 winner will be stood down for a 28-day period, significantly reducing his chances to line up in both the Melbourne Cup and The Phoenix.
Thompson said injuries to greyhounds happened, but said it was particularly hard when stars like Amron Boy go down.
“There’s nothing worse really, seeing a superstar like him sustain an injury like that,” he said.
“All the participants care about is the health and well-being of the dogs, whether they’re our own or not.
“I was more worried about his condition than I was about our dogs after the race.
“Hopefully we see him have one final crack at winning a major final.”
With the likely exclusion of Amron Boy from The Phoenix, along with the possibility of Postman Pat joining him on the sidelines, it is sure to open the field up to star chasers like Flying Zulu, Mackenna and Tim Zoo.
The greyhound world is also holding its breath with a growing chance Wow She’s Fast will return to the track after a serious hock injury earlier this year.