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  • Saturday, 18 Dec, 2021,
  • by Gerard Guthrie

Wow! Youngster’s amazing Phoenix rise

A star was born in the inaugural running of the $1.145m TAB Phoenix (525m) at The Meadows on Saturday night.

Lightly-raced Victorian youngster Wow She’s Fast wrote her name into the history books, careering away with the world’s only greyhound slot race at just her seventh start.

Not two until February, Wow She’s Fast, which represented Sportsbet, lived up to her name with a breathtaking 29.66sec victory, completing a masterful training performance by Pearcedale trainer Kel Greenough and wife Jackie.

“An absolute thrill,” a delighted Jackie Greenough told Jason Adams.

“She missed it a little bit but she got a clear run through and I thought she’s chasing one that’s not real strong, so please keep going!

“This is a huge step for her, to front up against dogs like that when she’s only had a half a dozen starts is fantastic.

“I’d like to thank Sportsbet; they’ve been wonderful through this whole process.”

Wow She’s Fast, a daughter of three-time G1 winner My Bro Fabio and Fair Of Face, burst onto the scene with a spectacular debut at Sandown Park on September 26, clocking a flying 29.09sec in a 27.5L romp.

She went on to win her first four starts, but was then unplaced at her next two assignments leading into the Phoenix, finishing fifth in a Melbourne Cup prelude and heat.

Photos by Clint Anderson

Drawn in box four for her Meadows debut, Wow She’s Fast started $11 in the TAB Phoenix, with Victorian superstars Aston Rupee ($2.50F) and Melbourne Cup hero Koblenz ($3.60) dominating the market, despite awkward draws in Boxes 5 and 8 respectively.

Queenslander Spotted Elk ($17) gave owner/trainer/breeder Graham Hall a massive thrill when she came out running, leading Koblenz into the first turn, with Wow She’s Fast railing into third.

Wow She’s Fast charged into second in the back straight and in the words of race caller Ron Hawkswell “she took over” turning for home and powered to the line, defeating Spotted Elk by three lengths, with Koblenz holding third.

Favourite Aston Rupee was never a factor, finishing seventh.

Wow She’s Fast, at just 22 months of age, has now won five of her seven starts, with her previous prizemoney tally of $15,895 skyrocketing with the addition of the monster $750,000 winner’s purse.

In a wonderful gesture, Sportsbet pledged to donate 25 per cent of their winnings to the Greyhound Adoption Program.

Earlier, there was a thrilling finish to the TAB Phoenix Match Race (525m), with Music Event ($1.80), trained by Mick Carter, running down Andrea Dailly’s G1 Melbourne Cup runner-up Lala Kiwi ($1.50) in 29.70sec.

Gerard GuthrieGerard Guthrie

Gerard Guthrie

One of Australia’s leading greyhound racing journalists since 2000 with the Greyhound Recorder and now with Greyhound Racing Victoria. Part-owner 2013 Group 1 Paws Of Thunder winner Sheikha. (The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of GRV)

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