Tornado Tears' breeder and part-owner Michael Ivers is concerned the champion stayer may have gone "too fast'' in his course record smashing heat win in the group 1 Association Cup last Saturday night.
Tornado Tears (pictured), who has box six in this Saturday's final, surprised by jumping in front from box two in his heat and leading throughout, covering the 720m in an unheard of time of 41.38sec.
While Tornado Tears has won 23 of his 34 starts, he has been unplaced in each of two races from box six.
"He has jumped in front on a couple of occasions previously but I just hope he did not go too fast in his heat,'' Ivers said.
"My only worry is that he might have burned himself out last Saturday, because I have always considered he would be better than ever this preparation.
"If he can stand up for the next 12 months Tornado Tears is capable of anything.''
xxxx
Good Odds Harada gave the Gosford 515m record a mighty shake with a 29.00sec runaway victory on Tuesday night.
Those figures were only a tenth of a second outside the track record set by 2018 Launching Pad winner Beast Unleashed in December.
The Frank Hurst-trained Good Odds Harada began only fairly from box six, but after being second going through the catching pen, dashed clear on the back straight.
Good Odds Harada had previously finished fifth in a Golden Easter Egg heat on April 6 before winding up in the same spot in a New Sensation heat won by King Cratos.
xxxx
IF Tornado Tears lands Saturday night's group 1 Association Cup after his track record breaking heat win he will emulate the performance of Space Star, who won the 2015 final for the same connections.
Space Star and Tornado Tears were bred on the NSW central coast by Michael Ivers, raced by Ivers' Millmi Syndicate, and trained in Victoria by Robert Britton.
Britton always rated Space Star a far superior stayer to Fanta Bale, who earned $1,365,175 for the trainer, but he took 42.09 to cover the Wentworth Park 720m in 2015.
Space Star's time was the equivalent to over 10 lengths slower than Tornado Tears record shattering figures.
Poco Dorado, NSW's top stayer, was left nearly seven lengths in Tornado Tears' wake in her heat and has not drawn well in box one in the final.
"She wanted box eight but I suppose box one is next best, especially in a big race,'' Poco Dorado's handler Melinda Finn said.
But her husband John has long believed that Poco Dorado "hates box one.''
xxxx
TRAINER Ron Marsden wanted box one or eight for Cee Jay's Boy in Saturday night's Group 3 New Sensation final so is upbeat about his dog wearing the pink rug at Wenty this week.
"He begins better from an inside box but he then moves to the middle of the track, so an outside draw is okay for him,'' Marsden, a retired truck driver, said.
Marsden trains Cee Jay's Boy for his pal Chris Madonis, a hairdresser, and bred the dog from My Lady Day, who raced with great success for their friend, the late Mickey Traino.
"Cee Jay's Boy has terrific early pace but his run home time is the worry for us next Saturday, he is not over strong at the finish of 520m,'' Marsden said.
