Master Pearcedale trainer Jason Thompson is chasing his second Healesville Cup in three years.
He saluted with Zambora Lou in 2020 and will rug exciting prospect Unleash Collinda and dual country cups winner Typhoon Sammy in the Group 2 final (350m), worth $50,000 to the winner, on Sunday.
A winner of six races (with three seconds and one third) from only 10 starts, Unleash Collinda ($7.10) ‘unleashed’ his massive talent when successful over last year’s Healesville Cup hero Ferdinand Boy ($5.70) by 2.5L in 19.08sec – the second fastest of yesterday’s five heats.
Unleash Collinda (Apr ’20 Beast Unleashed x Audacious Bell) keeps raising the bar and lowering his times up the picturesque Yarra Valley straight track. It was his third successive win (all at Healesville), having clocked 19.22sec on August 14 and 19.18sec a week later.
Ex-Tassie speedster Sacred Stance, now prepared in NSW by Michelle Sultana, established the heats’ time standard.
A finalist in last year’s G1 Hobart Thousand, Sacred Stance ($5.60) – another son of Beast Unleashed – notched his 11th win from 17 starts defeating National Straight Track Championship finalist Quinlan Bale ($2.40F) by 1.3L in 19.07sec.
Straight track specialist Panama Canal was also an impressive heat winner.
Trained at Junction Village by Jessica Hopkins, Panama Canal ($1.04F) accounted for recent Waterloo Cup runner-up Master Ogilvie ($59.50) by 2.7L in 19.19sec.
Panama Canal snared his 14th win from 19 starts, including four from five over 350m at Healesville. He finished third to Ferdinand Boy in the Listed Pink Diamond Champion Sprinter final at Ballarat in mid-June.
Other heat winners were the Daniel Gibbons trained Nicolson Bale (19.24sec), which defeated Typhoon Sammy, and the Gary Peach prepared Action Girl (19.38sec). Quinlan Bale also provides Gibbons with a two-pronged challenge in the final.
WATCH: UNLEASH COLLINDA (B4) conquers ‘country cups king’ FERDINAND BOY (B3).
