Any time a greyhound breaks a track record it’s a phenomenal feat, but to do it in a big final when the competition is at its hottest makes it so much more special.
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That’s exactly what superstar sprinter Orson Allen did in Saturday night’s $67, 000 Group 2 CHS Group Horsham Cup, and the fact he was able to do so after encountering some interference in the run made the achievement even more remarkable.
Orson Allen has previously contested the Bendigo, Geelong and Warragul Cups, finishing runner-up at Geelong.
Orson Allen's biggest win before came in the Group 3 Sandown Shootout, set Cranbourne in February this year in Cup heats, clocking a scorching 29.61sec.
Trained in the Geelong suburb of Avalon by 25-year-old Correy Grenfell, Orson Allen ($2.20 favourite) overpowered the front-running Nervous An Weird ($3.50) in the scorching time of 26.87 seconds.
He lowered the previous track record of 26.88 seconds, which was set by Got Some Wheels last November.
Two months shy of his third birthday Orson Allen appears to be at the peak of his powers right now, having also won the Cranbourne Cup last month, however handler Joe Briffa suggested we may not have seen the best of him just yet.
“He just keeps on improving and he’s starting to work out how to come from behind. He’s a real flying machine. He’s one of the best dogs in Australia at the moment,” Briffa said.
“Nervous An Weird jumped brilliantly and I thought he (Orson Allen) might be in a little bit of trouble, but he worked home really well and to break the (track) record is unbelievable. He’s just flying,” Briffa said.
Orson Allen won by 2.5 lengths over Nervous An Weird, while Italian Plastic ($7.50) finished third.
Bred in NSW, Orson Allen has now had 23 wins from 47 starts, with the $47,000 Horsham Cup first prize taking his career earnings up to $313,645.
Having treated Horsham locals with a memorable display of power and athleticism in the Horsham Cup, Orson Allen will now head further west for heats of the Group 1 Perth Cup this weekend.
