Fernando Hunter wins the 2023 Masters Meteor at his swansong
Fernando Hunter used the inside draw to storm home and take home the 2023 Masters Meteor final, with trainer Michelle Sultana drawing the curtains on the greyhounds career at Wentworth Park on Friday night.
Fernando Hunter lined up in the quality veterans field as a race favourite, paying +170 on greyhound betting apps.
Jumping from box one in the 520m contest, he got out only fairly to sit fourth as the field turned the first bend with Stout Monelli (+650) in the lead.
Approaching the final corner, Fernando Hunter passed Aston Barak to get into second, and then he took the rails run to come under the leader in the straight.
Fernando Hunter beat Stout Monelli by 1.75 lengths in 29.87 to claim the top prize.
2023 Master Meteors Final – Fernando Hunter (29.87) T: Michelle Sultana
Immediately following the victory, Sultana revealed that Fernando Hunter had run his last race.
“He's come through so much, been bitten by a snake, still winning all those races, and now he's going out with a bang.
“He's coming home to a comfy seat on the lounge.
“I'd say that'll be it for him.
“He's more than earned it,” Sultana said.
The $100,000 to-the-winner Masters Meteor win almost doubled Fernando Hunter's career earnings.
Last week, Fernando Hunter jumped poorly to sit last in his heat of the Masters Meteor but recovered to gain ground and finish runner-up behind heat winner Sutton Sandy.
Friday night was Fernando Hunter's second appearance on Million Dollar Chase (MDC) final night, after finishing runner-up in the 2022 MDC Consolation Final behind Zipping Maserati.
The 2023 Masters meteor win was a very popular one, as the same connections suffered terrible misfortune when Fernando Quality fell badly in Rocket Riot's GRNSW Young Star win.
Owned by multiple Group 1 winning jockey Brenton Avdulla, Fernando Hunter is one of the best ‘oldies' on the track.
Named after Avdulla's son Hunter, the dog has now won 24 of 52 starts, with 12 of those coming at Wentworth Park.
If his stats were not impressive enough, in each of those wins he has run sub-30 seconds, showing the motor he possesses.
From a 2019 litter of nine out of Mrs. Mouse by Fernando Bale, Fernando Bale retires as the litter's most successful member, having now earned $210,000 in prize money.