Perfect 10 Has Panama Canal Pink Diamond Bound

EXCITING Victorian sprinter Panama Canal, winner of his past 10 from just 11 starts, heads towards a graded series at Healesville on Sunday but with the Pink Diamond Sprinter his main target.

Trainer Jess Hopkins said this on Wednesday of the son of Superior Panama-Zipping Yoko which is raced by the OTH Bananas Syndicate headed by Nick Cutri.

Panama Canal has been impressive in wins at Geelong, Bendigo, Healesville, Ballarat, Warragul and Warrnambool.

He was bought from Ian Garland after finishing third on debut and then winning at Geelong and Bendigo.

‘PANAMA' SUPERIOR AGAIN

PANAMA CANAL (7) secured his 10th straight victory in a brilliant 21.672 seconds at Warrnambool for trainer Jess Hopkins.

AUSSIE INFRARED (21.616) set the 390m track record in February 2017.

Result ? https://t.co/wBPboKS5J4#GreyhoundRacing @tabcomau pic.twitter.com/jKZdDErqC9

— WatchDog Racing (@WatchDogRacing) May 9, 2022

“Nick and the syndicate had asked around for trainers to take him and Allan Halloran suggested they ask me,” said Jess.

Jess laments the near tragic start to Panama Canal's career under her care.

“At his third trial for me, he caught the lure and ripped his Achilles,” she said.

“You can imagine how I felt ringing the owners with that news before I had even got to race him.

“Fortunately a number of them had been in racing before and they understand how injuries can happen.”

Jess got Des Fagan to operate on Panama Canal but she also contacted Seona and Jason Thompson for advice.

“I knew they had a couple of injuries like this and I sought their advice,” said Jess.

“Seona was fantastic and then Jason came on board to help when we got close to putting him back in training.”

Vet advice was to have the stitches removed after 10 days and then to start the dog on a walking machine. After three weeks, he was allowed out into a 20m by 13m run to start exercising on it.

“After four to six weeks of that he was ready to gallop,” said Jess.

“Jason advised we take him to the Cranbourne straight and give him a call up the full distance so he would stretch the tendon.

“All our work up to that stage had been to keep the tendon stretching.

“It worked.”

It certainly did with Panama Canal coming back to win his next eight starts for Jess and repay not only the faith of the syndicate of owners, some of them first timers, but also in her own ability to bring him back.

“They are a great bunch of owners,” said Jess.

“When he won the final at Warrnambool at his latest start, one of the first-time owners arrived with a bunch of his mates. I'd never met any of them, but here they were all cheering him on.

“It was fantastic.”

THIS STREAK IS BANANAS

PANAMA CANAL (3) won his ninth straight race in a scorching 21.785 seconds at Warrnambool for trainer Jess Hopkins.

AUSSIE INFRARED (21.616) set the 390m track record in February 2017.

Result ? https://t.co/SKcKdUMCuZ#GreyhoundRacing @tabcomau pic.twitter.com/szgvC0RhS8

— WatchDog Racing (@WatchDogRacing) May 5, 2022

Jess Hopkins knows only too well the Pink Diamond Sprinter series will be tough.

“He's still eligible for the Pink Diamond Rookie but I think he could be up to the Sprinter series,” she said.

“Yes, it will be tough. The Rookie and Sprinter were won last year by Koblenz and Shima Shine, and Shima Shine had to beat Aston Rupee to win the Sprinter.”

Tess had even considered targeting The Thunderbolt with the $75,000 to the winner final at Grafton.

“But it would have meant four different trips to NSW,” she said. “And that race is certain to attract some hot speedsters as well.”

Jess, 31, has been training since she was 18.

“My pop George Rose trained Wylie Boy,” said Jess. “I remember pestering pop about dogs when I was four or five.”

Wylie Boy, the great son of Kareem, ran third in the 1995 Topgun behind Rapid Hiker and Tenthill Doll . Jess said he lived until two months before his 16th birthday.