Tornado Tears Stars In Superstayers

RACECALLER Paul Dolan probably summed up the feeling of all those watching Albion Park last Thursday night when he asked the question about Tornado Tears … “how fast can this one go?”.

Dolan, and the rest of the greyhound world, had just watched as the son of Fernando Bale-Tears Siam had clipped two lengths off the Albion Park 710m track record he had broken himself just the week before.
He was winning the Superstayers Invitation in 41.20 by eight lengths over litter brother Rippin' Sam with three and a half lengths to Jalapeno in third. Triple track record holder Champagne Sally finished fourth in the four-dog invitation.
Tornado Tears had run 41.33 when winning the Group 1 Albion Park Gold Cup the previous week eclipsing Dashing Corsair's previous track record of 41.44 that had stood for almost a decade.
The man who knows the answer to Dolan's question is obviously Tornado Tears' trainer, Victorian Robbie Britton.
“It was an awesome performance,” said Britton. “He is improving all the time and getting stronger at the end of his races now.
“And he copped a slight check going into the first turn which could have cost him a tenth of a second in the run.”
But Britton is a realist and was high in praise of the Albion Park track surface. “The track is very good at the moment and very fast,” he said. “It makes for records.”
Tornado Tears will now have two weeks off before eyeing the McKenna Memorial at Sandown over 595m.
He, Rippin' Sam and kennelmate Benali (also a winner at Albion Park last Thursday night), had stayed in Queensland under the care of youthful local trainer Steve Scott.
“Tornado Tears was pretty flat on Friday morning on his way home to Victoria,” said Britton. “But he had only about three hours sleep after arriving back at Steve's kennels, then getting up early for the drive back to Brisbane Airport.”
Britton has a slight query about dropping the country's newest staying star back to 600m for the McKenna Memorial series.
“The corner start is not ideal but you can't start avoiding the big races for fear of something going wrong,” he said. “That's what they are for … to be chased.”
He is, however, concerned there are few staying races programmed prior to the up-coming Group 1 Nationals.
Britton was high in praise of breeder and part-owner Michael Ivers and the type of dog he produces.
“It has been a very good line with lots of quality in it for a very long time,” he said. “But putting together the right pedigrees and then rearing the pups the right way has a lot to do with bringing these dogs through.”
Britton was also aware of the work Steve Scott had done with the dogs at his Queensland kennels in the week they stayed with him.
Rival trainers at Albion Park joked that Scott had been boasting all week he had improved Tornado Tears a couple of lengths within the week he had him.
Britton saw the funny side of that.
Tornado Tears has now started 20 times for 12 wins and earned $336,000.