Moraine Suzie runs away with Topgun Stayers title
Brendan Pursell once again showed his expertise as a trainer after Moraine Suzie's brilliant three-length triumph for him in the Topgun Stayers at The Meadows on Saturday night.
The two-year-old bitch stunned punters in a sign of what was to come after the $6.20 winning chance crossed the line in 42.43 seconds, with Mepunga Ruby second for Jeffrey Britton.
It was a remarkable performance from the emergency who started from box two in the Group 1 feature over 730m, only after the shocking scratching of $1.50 favourite and Sydney Cup winner Super Estrella.
G1 Topgun Stayers (730m) race replay | November 5, 2022 | Moraine Suzie (1st)
“I couldn't be more proud of her,” Pursell told Racing.com.
On an unforgettable night for Greyhound Racing Victoria, fellow emergency Photo Man – also a Victorian dog – saluted as a $20.20 outsider from box eight in the Topgun just two races later.
Pursell's operation is on fire at the moment.
He oversaw McInerney's victory in the Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park on September 24, before the three-year-old finished second in the Topgun over 525m also on Saturday night.
And the Lara trainer had Moraine Suzie at her best on the weekend, despite some recent setbacks.
His star young bitch was beaten by a whopping 13 ¼ lengths to Super Estrella on the way to third in a heat of the Sydney Cup.
She was also third – and beaten by 7 ¾ lengths to David Smith's star stayer – in the Group 1 National Distance Championship also at Wentworth Park in late August.
But Pursell's intuition to freshen up Moraine Suzie proved to be a lucrative call, with the performance on Saturday night earning her the $75,000 first prize.
“Something was amiss in Sydney, but (on Saturday night) she proved she's right,” he said.
“I don't think she fired in Sydney. So we freshened her up and she'd been trialling really well.”
It was Moraine Suzie's ninth win – with five from her past eight – from 27 starts.
In doing so, her stakes shot up to $134,405.
Mepunga Ruby's effort to get second was also a very good one.
The three-year-old bitch was first-up after a five-month spell, finishing in 42.64 seconds.