Greyhound stars set for final gallops ahead of world’s richest greyhound slot race
On Saturday night at the Meadows greyhound track in Melbourne, Australia, the stage is set for the $1,000,000 to-the-winner greyhound slot race, The Phoenix.
The prize pool for this race is $1.65 million, creating a sense of anticipation and excitement among greyhound fans and the wider public.
The box draw for The Phoenix was performed on Sunday, December 10, and has delivered the inside greyhounds favouritism on greyhound betting apps for the world's richest greyhound slot race.
But ahead of Saturday's big race, the greyhound racing public will get one last chance to watch two of the race contenders at their final hit-out.
At 12:30 p.m. on Monday, December 11, 2023, Schillaci and Jay Is Jay will have their final runs in preparation for Saturday night's Phoenix final.
The trials will be held at The Meadows and will be public, so the broader greyhound community and fans are able to attend.
On Thursday December 7, Wow She's Fast trialled at The Meadows, running 29.43 to cement her spot in The Phoenix and attempt to win her third consecutive Phoenix trophy.
There had been conjecture about whether or not the Jackie Greenough-trained greyhound was going well enough to keep the Sportsbet slot in the race, but the 29.49 effort was enough to claim her spot in the race.
While Schillaci and Jay Is Jay already have their spots in the race confirmed, there will be plenty of pressure weighing on them during the trials, as both have drawn awkwardly in the big race.
Both Schillaci and Jay Is Jay have been quoted as the two roughest chances to win the 2023 Phoenix by greyhound betting sites, being quoted at +3000 and +1300 respectively to win.
Ladbrokes owns Schillaci's spot in The Phoenix and would be hoping the 2023 Group 3 SA Derby winner and 2023 Group 1 Topgun finalist can trial in a time that would suggest he will be competitive in The Phoenix despite drawing box five in the race.
Trained by pizza shop owner Jihad Talgi, Schillaci has only raced at The Meadows once before, running 30.38 when finishing just out of the placings in the 2023 Topgun behind Transponder.
Well-traveled Queenslander Jay Is Jay will also trial on the day.
Jay Is Jay finished runner-up in the 2023 Topgun from box eight, the same box he will exit from on Saturday night.
The 2023 Million Dollar Chase winner at Wentworth Park, missed a berth in the Melbourne Cup final but returned home to win the Group 3 Queensland Flame at Albion Park and claim Racing Queensland's slot in The Phoenix.
If Jay Is Jay emerges victorious on Saturday night, it would increase his winnings to over $2.4 million, an achievement that would undoubtedly bring joy to his owners, Selena Zammit and her husband Mick, as well as Racing Queensland slot holders.
The Phoenix race will consist of a total of eight dogs, each nominated by slot holders who invested $100,000 to secure their place in this race.
The lineup for the event on Saturday includes notable contenders such as the RSN representing Big Energy, Alpha Zulu for the Good Blokes Society, Postman Pat associated with NSW-based Greyhounds HQ, Pass The Buck for Tabcorp, Hector Fawley representing Total Container Solutions, and two-time Phoenix winner Wow She's Fast for online bookmakers Sportsbet.
2023 The Phoenix
2023 The Phoenix Box Draw & FieldMeadows525m Slot Race $1,000,000 to-the-winnerSaturday, December 16, 2023
|
|
 |
1 Pass The Buck
+300
|
 |
2 Hector Fawley
T: Lisa Cockerell F: 1122Career: 43: 17-8-3Prizemoney: $249,795Slot Owner: Total Container Solutions
+350
|
 |
3 Alpha Zulu
T: Jason Thompson F: 1345Career: 23: 15-3-2Prizemoney: $225,925Slot Owner: Good Blokes Society
+300
|
 |
4 Postman Pat
T: Jason ThompsonF: 3271Career: 34: 23-5-2Prizemoney: $336,110Slot Owner: Greyhounds HQ
+400
|
 |
5 Schillaci
T: Jihad Talgi F: 1448Career: 18: 10-2-1Prizemoney: $72,455Slot Owner: Ladbrokes
+3000
|
 |
6 Wow She's Fast
T: Jackie Greenough F: 1T67Career: 34: 20-3-0Prizemoney: $2,391,995Slot Owner: Sportsbet
+850
|
 |
7 Big Energy
T: Jackie Greenough F: 5112Career: 29: 14-7-0Prizemoney: $408,310Slot Owner: RSN
+500
|
 |
8 Jay Is Jay
T: Selena ZammitF: 1271Career: 37: 19-6-3Prizemoney: $1,419,250Slot Owner: Racing Queensland
+1300
|
.jpg){kind=logo}
Odds correct at time of publication