Thirty Talks primed for Brisbane Cup following Ipswich win

SENSATIONAL Queensland sprinter will be aimed at the heats of the Brisbane Cup (520m) at this Thursday after his stunning victory in the Group 3 Cup (520m) on Saturday.

Trained by , the brindle dog began beautifully from box one in the $31,500 feature and never gave his rivals a look-in, cruising to the line to score by five lengths in a race record 30.21.

Brett bagged the quinella in the race, with Zabdon Ferrari (box six) clinching second ahead of Major Jackpot (box eight), while Brett's third finalist, (box two), finished just a head behind the placings in fourth spot.

Brett went into the race believing it was Thirty Talks' race to lose, despite punters shying away from the favourite following his near track record run in his heat.

“As the race got closer, punters started to jump off him,” Brett said.

“He opened $1.65 when the box draw first came out last week and by race time he was out to $2.60.

“People were probably just thinking the same thing as me – if he misses the start we are in trouble – but thankfully he did everything right and the $1.65 looked alright.”

Thirty Talks, a son of Where's Pedro and Unfinished, took his career record to 19 wins and two minors from 31 starts with the win, while his career earnings now stand at $196,251.

Brett said it was terrific to see his chaser return to his best form throughout the series after a string of luckless runs from bad boxes, with the win repaying the faith he had in the dog's ability.

“We are all for the perfect dog – there are plenty of dogs going around with ability but they all have their traits and do things wrong.

“That's why I love being a greyhound trainer – the challenge of getting the best out of every dog – and it makes it rewarding when you see a dog do what you know they can do.”

Having pulled up well after the run, the attention will now turn to the $75,000 Brisbane Cup at Albion Park, a track at which Thirty Talks holds a commanding 29.66 personal best.

“He has pulled up pretty good – as have all my crew – so Thirty Talks and Zabdon Ferrari will be off to the Brisbane Cup heats on Thursday at Albion Park.

“Thankfully by going back to Ipswich [Thirty Talks] was able to find the front and get back some confidence which is a massive thing and hopefully he can go on from here and maintain his form.

“It will be interesting to see what visitors we get up here – the race is wedged into an awkward gap in the calendar in between the Ballarat Cup and the Thousand.

“There is only a seven-day turnaround between the final of the Brisbane Cup and the heats of the Hobart Thousand which makes it tough with a dog such as Thirty Talks because it means if he makes the final of the Brisbane Cup he won't get the chance to trial at Hobart.

“It makes for a tough decision whether to go or not and I guess it generally means it is either one or the other.”

Brett also addressed the possibility of trying his powerhouse performer over the middle distance trip, saying he wouldn't rule out having a crack at next year's big 600m events such as the or the .

“There are a couple of nice 600m races coming up here but I think I will be guided by the dog.

“I have no doubt he will run 600m, but there is no future over the middle distance unless you can take the next step and become a stayer.

“But with that being said I wouldn't keep sticking him in sprint races if he kept finding trouble, if he had of done no good in the Ipswich series and the Brisbane Cup I would have stepped him up straight away to try and get a confidence boost.

“At the moment there are no plans to step him up just yet, there are too many good races over the sprint, but it is definitely something to consider down the track.”

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