Promoter's Dream: Tears Rivalry A Zoom Top Treat

In a promoter's dream, the opening night of the Australian Cup Carnival is set to feature a tantalising clash between champion stayer Tornado Tears and his boom younger brother, newly crowned Sandown Park record holder Here's Tears.

Last Thursday Tornado Tears headlined the list of stayers invited by the Melbourne Greyhound Racing Association (MGRA) to nominate for the Group 1 Zoom Top (725m), one of three invitational events to be staged at The Meadows on Saturday, February 15.

Tornado Tears won the Zoom Top in 2019 and he's a certainty to be given the chance to defend his crown when this year's field is unveiled on Sky Racing's The Catching Pen on Tuesday night.

And it's highly likely his hand-picked opposition will include lookalike full brother and kennelmate Here's Tears, which was handed a late invitation for the Zoom Top after sensationally breaking Sandown's 715m record last Thursday.

"It's up to them (the selection panel) whether Here's Tears makes the field," said trainer Robert Britton.

"But to leave out a dog that has just broken the Holy Grail of track records over staying distances wouldn't be a great thing for their publicity machine."

Tornado Tears and Here's Tears are both sons of Hall Of Fame sprinter Fernando Bale and Tears Siam, a litter sister to Britton's former superstar stayer Space Star, which won the Zoom Top in 2015 and holds The Meadows 725m record.

Bred in NSW by Michael Ivers, Tornado Tears was whelped in February 2016, while Here's Tears was born in September 2017.

Here's Tears was having only his seventh start for master distance conditioner Britton when he clocked a staggering 41.157s at Sandown last Thursday, breaking former Western Australian star Miata's previous record of 41.17s, established in the 2012 Sandown Cup heats.

It was the blue-blood's 10th win from 23 starts and followed an eye-catching 41.55s performance at his Sandown 715m debut in early January.

"To be quite honest, he probably did go better than I expected," Britton said.

"In saying that, I give all my dogs what I call ‘three sections' out of the 715m boxes at Sandown and he's gone the quickest I've ever had.

"The track was very fast on Thursday and when you go back to the night Miata broke the record, it was the same thing. I had a dog called Wandy Neg that ran 41.70s that night and he couldn't stay!

"To break records, you need everything to be absolutely right, whether it's eight years ago or last week.

"Tornado Tears has run 41.20s at Sandown and if he ever had those same conditions at his best he would've smashed that record. I've always believed that."

The ‘Tears' breed have an obvious affinity with Sandown, with Tornado Tears having won 10 from 11 over 715m, with his only defeat coming in the 2019 Sandown Cup Final.

While Here's Tears confirmed his arrival as a serious player in the staying ranks, it was a different story for his big brother on the other side of the continent on Saturday night.

Tornado Tears was sent out $1.70 favourite in the Group 3 The Miata; however the Cannington 715m record holder could only finish fifth to former kennelmate Grace Ali.

"He kept running into the backs of dogs," Britton said.

"I trained Grace Ali before she went over to Perth and I kept telling her to get out of his road!

"He was treading water but that's what he does now. You can't change him but when the seas part for him like they did in the Bold Trease he'll go through."

While Tornado Tears is racing below the extremely high standards he has set for himself, Britton would still give him the nod over Here's Tears in the Zoom Top and he should know, having remarkably won the race four times in the last six years.

"All things being equal, I'd be on Tornado Tears," offered Britton, who also has Blazing Cartier, a winner at The Meadows on Saturday, in the frame for a Zoom Top berth.

"Here's Tears would have to lead to win the race and he's shown he's capable of doing that, but if Tornado Tears jumped and lobbed second I know who I'd want to be on!

"It's been a sensational staying line and Tears Siam has had a third litter to Fernando Bale so hopefully it's going to keep going for a while."