Cup Night Match Race One For The Ages

SOMETIMES, the entrée is as appealing as the main.

And that is certainly the case at Shepparton on Saturday night when two of Victoria’s premier one-turn sprinters – Typhoon Sammy and Paua Of Buddy – line up in the Cup Night Match Race (450m).

While Cup Night Match Races have become a fixture on the Victorian provincial circuit, the quality of runners and evenness of some contests has made the race a non-event at times.

🏆 COUNTRY CUP SUCCESS 🏆

TYPHOON SAMMY (8) burned early from the outside and proved too strong in the $47,000 to-the-winner Group 2 #HorshamCup Final (485m) in 27.206 seconds for trainer Jason Thompson.

Result 👉 https://t.co/hKAk9EkoSw#GreyhoundRacing @tabcomau pic.twitter.com/7ydrn27Wdh

— WatchDog Racing (@WatchDogRacing) March 4, 2022

FIELDS AND FORM SHEPPARTON SATURDAY NIGHT

However this contest between two track record holders promises to be every bit as intriguing – and exciting – as the group 2 Cup final later in the evening.

Both greyhounds were sent to their respective Cup heats as short favourites before modest getaways curtailed their hopes of progressing to the $47,000 to the winner Cup final.

Instead, they will line up next to each other in the $10,000 winner-takes-all support feature.

Since arriving in Jason Thompson’s Pearcedale kennels in August last year, Typhoon Sammy has won 15 of 22 starts including 14 from 19 over distances between 395m and 485m. He has won the Traralgon (395m) and Horsham (485m) Cups, and holds track records at Bendigo over 425m and Traralgon over 395m.

👀 MUST WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY

PAUA OF BUDDY (1) won his 11th race at start 15 in a sizzling 24.767 seconds at Ballarat for trainer Steve White.

SILVER LAKE (24.686) set the 450m track record on February 3, 2021.

Result 👉 https://t.co/XNfanXSFFP#GreyhoundRacing @tabcomau pic.twitter.com/bARYFqnnqA

— WatchDog Racing (@WatchDogRacing) March 2, 2022

Paua Of Buddy has had just 16 starts through his injury riddled career, but when right has won eight of 10 starts (and finished second in the other two starts) in races over 450m-460m as well as breaking the Warragul 400m track record.

Jason Thompson has long held a high opinion of Typhoon Sammy, though connections would have preferred to draw on the outside in this format.

Steve White has also long had a high opinion of Paua Of Buddy and believes that if he can jump cleanly and lead he should win, saying his charge ‘has a V16 engine.’

The match race will be run at 6.59pm (race 4) with the group 2 Shepparton Cup to be run at 8.25pm (race 8).

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