Wow She’s Fast peaking at right time for Adelaide Cup
Wow She’s Fast has an uncanny ability to peak at just the right moments.
That is the opinion of trainer Kel Greenough ahead of the $142,750 Adelaide Cup at Angle Park on Friday night.
The two-year-old bitch is a worthy $1.75 favourite with Ladbrokes going into the Group 1 feature because she thrives on rising to the challenge of big feature races.
And this is why she is one of the best chasers in the country at the moment, according to Greenough.
“She senses the occasion. If I’m trialing her solo by herself, sometimes she’ll just chase the lure really quickly,” he told Australian Racing Greyhound.
“And other times she’ll run a lot slower, and it’s nothing like her best.
“She seems to sense the occasion. I’ve only had a small number of dogs over the years who have had that in them, that they’re just a little more intelligent than a normal dog.
“And to be able to thrive and run their best. It’s a bit like football players – some go to water and some go all right.
“So far she’s handled it well. But it might be different in six months’ time.
“We’re just enjoying the ride and we hope it continues.”
After a two-month spell, the champion bitch was back to her stunning winning ways last start.
She ran an Angle Park record of 29.86 seconds over 530m in her TAB SA v Allstars Match Race against Mallee Magic on September 22.
It was her sixth-straight triumph, and Greenough said she hasn’t missed a beat on the training track since.
“She’s in good shape. There are no problems with her. It’s just a matter of doing all the right things, coming out OK and not getting into trouble from the box,” he said.
“Like any race, you need to begin well and not get into trouble.”
Despite his superstar coming back from her spell in fine fashion, Greenough was not getting ahead of himself before Friday night, particularly with Wow She’s Fast drawing box five.
“From five, she’s got Fernando Mick in three, and he usually uses a bit of the track,” he said.
“So you wouldn’t want her to start bumping other dogs. We’re just hoping for a clear run – where she actually comes out all right and gets a clear run.
“If we get beaten, so be it. Life goes on. We’ll just target her next race. We’re hoping we do well, but you never know in a Group 1.
“It’s never easy.”
Greenough has plenty of respect for a quality Adelaide Cup on the same night where no shortage of stars will also line up in the Group 2 Black Top Final at The Gardens.
“The dog she was against in the match race was enormous last week, Mallee Magic. If he gets a clear run on the inside, which he probably will, she (Wow She’s Fast) wouldn’t want to do anything wrong,” Greenough said.
“Fernando Mick has been going enormous. Zippy Tesla (for Andrea Dailly) from the four box – he had a huge run last week.
“He got into trouble early and just stormed home. The Daillys are always hard to beat, no matter when you race them. Even the dog in box seven (Dusty Bourbski) – he ran second in the Maturity Classic (to Wow She’s Fast on July 23) and put up an enormous run.
“Even Photo Man is a great dog. A lot of Victorians have headed up to Sydney for the other race, but a lot of them have gone to Adelaide.
“There’s no easy race. But it’s great for the club. Adelaide gets a nice field. They were a bit concerned that most of the better dogs might’ve gone to Sydney, but a lot of good dogs have gone to Adelaide.
“It’s good they’ve got a nice final.”
Greenough said this part of the year could be an exciting time for punters and connections of Wow She’s Fast if she stays healthy.
“This is the start of a period of time that we want to be hopefully not injured or coming on season, and being able to race in these races,” he said.
“Melbourne Cups, Phoenixes and Top Guns – they’re all huge races. So you want to have your dog firing in November and December.
“We’re coming into November now. So you just hope you maintain your form and nothing goes wrong with your dog.
“Everyone is in the same boat who has a good dog. They want to be competitive at the right time.”
Meanwhile, Greenough said the much-hyped match race with 2021 Million Dollar Chase champion and this year’s Golden Easter Egg winner She’s A Pearl was yet to be confirmed.
Andy Lord’s star bitch hasn’t quite been at her best since coming on season after her incredible MDC Final triumph, winning in 29.32 seconds over 520m at Wentworth Park on May 7.
Both parties were planning for the head-to-head clash to happen at The Meadows on October 22.
But She’s A Pearl managing owner, Joe Lannutti of Greyhounds HQ, has previously said it would be dependent on the form of both superstar chasers.
“We were supposed to be notified (on Tuesday) of their intentions, and we haven’t been notified,” Greenough said.
“That to me is a little bit of a concern because … we’ve got a bit of a doubt.
“I’m still hoping it’s on. But the fact I haven’t got a phone call – when I thought I was going to get one – to me is a bit of a concern.”