Group 1 Topgun winner Jaimandy Coops will start a short-priced favourite for tonight’s $30,000 Shootout at Sandown Park.SANDOWN Park will host the $30,000 Shootout over 515 metres tonight (Thursday) with recent Topgun winner Jaimandy Coops starting as hot favourite to add another trophy to Paul Donohue’s cabinet.
The in-form Benalla greyhound drew the cherished box one for the winner-takes-all Group 2 sprint, which will be contested by only three dogs this year after injury forced several dogs including Vapour Whirl and Train A Journey out of contention.
Cranbourne-trained Andy Palmer, which has a best time of 29.54 at Sandown Park, will start from box five while Sydney raider Old Blue will start from box three.
The Shootout is in its ninth year and is the only race of its kind in Australia.
Last year Bond, trained by leading Devon Meadows mentor Darren McDonald, exploded around Sandown to win in a track record time of 29.38 seconds.
At last Thursday’s Sandown Park meeting glamour sprinter Betty’s Angel survived an unexpected scare to take out the $73,000 Group 1 Sapphire Crown Classic.
Betty’s Angel started at $3.20 and began well from box seven, but was beaten to the first turn by litter sister Leprechaun Pace. Ja Ja joined the kennelmates and the threesome opened up a five-length break on entering the back straight.
There was little change in the running order as Betty’s Angel pulled to the outside approaching the home turn and swept past her rivals, powering to the line five lengths clear in a smart time of 29.85 seconds.
Ja Ja prevailed in a bumping dual to defeat Leprechaun Pace by a neck, denying trainer Paul Bartolo a Group 1 quinella.
Betty’s Angel was nearly scratched prior to the meeting after Bartolo revealed his charge had been bitten by another greyhound during training.
Following a thorough vet’s examination, Betty’s Angel was passed fit to run and took out Australia’s richest race for bitches.
The $50,000 first prize improved Betty’s Angel’s record to nine wins from 14 starts and more than $80,000 in prize money.
The win was Bartolo’s first Group 1 success, but his second Group race win in six weeks after Betty’s Angel’s litter sister Miss Mini Mouse took out the Group 2 South Australian Oaks.
Race favourite Pure Burst ($3) cost itself any chance of collecting the $10,000 bonus on offer for completing the Laurels-Sapphire Crown Classic double by hitting her head on the starting boxes shortly before jumping.
