By MICHAEL FLOYD
BLAZIN’ Bomber set Sandown Park alight to claim the Group 3 Bill Collins Speed Star.
The series brought together eight of the fastest greyhounds in the country to contest a series of match races worth $10,000 each, and Blazin’ Bomber was never threatened to stop the clock in a slick 29.090.
The time was a little over a length faster than his qualifying time recorded the previous Sunday which came as no surprise to his trainer, former Test cricketer Darren Pattinson.
“I thought he could go a little quicker since it was so windy on Sunday,” Pattinson said.
“It’s a little windy tonight, too, but he went as well as he should have gone.
“I thought the others would get close to his time – they’re very fast dogs – so to beat them by two or three lengths is a great achievement.”
Others included four runners from the Jason Thompson kennel, drawn against each other, as Group 1 winner Dalgetty met Invictus Rapid in match two, and litter brothers Buck Forty and Burn One Down in match three.
Never more than a length between Dalgetty and Invictus Rapid throughout their match and in a thrilling run to the line, Dalgetty mustered all of his champion qualities to find the line half a length clear in 29.316.
Burn One Down’s brilliant maiden win saw him sensationally backed from $15 into $6 early in the betting for the series and led his more fancied litter bother at box rise.
However Buck Forty made full use of his inside draw to rail through the lead at the first turn and open a two length lead.
Burn One Down made his move off the back straight and in a thrilling run to the line, Burn One Down prevailed by a neck in 29.269.
It was the second group race win for Blazin’ Bomber following his Cranbourne Puppy Classic victory last August, in which he defeated a quality field that included Kayda Shae and Dyna Double One.
