‘Wow factor’ for Sandgroper

[Wandering Eyes]

Champion Victorian sprinter Wow She’s Fast returns to centre-stage at Cannington on Friday night, as the headline act in the inaugural $500,000 The Sandgroper (520m).

As has been the case in her historic back-to-back victories in the first two editions of The Phoenix, Wow She’s Fast will represent Sportsbet in The Sandgroper (race 7, 9.38pm).

Wow She’s Fast (box 3) is joint $4 favourite to enhance her reputation as Australian greyhound racing’s slot race ‘Queen’ and add the $300,000 winner’s purse to her increasingly incomprehensible world record prizemoney haul of $2.35 million.

“As soon as Wow She’s Fast got off the plane, I could tell she was a different dog to the first time she came over.”

With Kel and Jackie Greenough holidaying in the United States, leading WA trainer Steve Withers is putting the final touches Wow She’s Fast’s build-up to the Sandgroper, greyhound racing’s leg of this weekend’s Western Trilogy, which also features the Quokka (thoroughbred) and Nullarbor (harness).

Withers, no stranger to a superstar canine, having guided Tommy Shelby to three G1 victories, is excited and thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the remarkable Wow She’s Fast story.

“She’s a wonderful bitch. Who wouldn’t want to be involved with her?” Withers said.

“Kel (Greenough) did an amazing job to correct the issues she had when she came over here for the Perth Cup. He turned her around so quickly and got her back on point. That’s why Kel is the best at what he does.

“As soon as she got off the plane, I could tell she was a different dog to the first time she came over.

“Kel’s tutelage has made ‘Sharni’ the amazing dog she is, and our goal is to replicate the routine she has at home, as close as possible.”

It’s the second time Wow She’s Fast has ventured to WA in 2023, after she was scratched from the heats of the G1 Perth Cup.

After flying trials at Warragul and The Meadows prior to returning west, Wow She’s Fast delighted Withers with a box-to-box Cannington trial last week and he’s confident she’ll get her chance from box three.

“Kel mapped out the plan and he wanted to give her another opportunity out of the boxes with the quieter lure,” Withers explained.

“She had that last week and went fantastic.

“If she can reproduce those sectionals on Friday night she’ll be in a very, very dangerous position in this race. If that happens, there’ll be a lot of excited people and I’ll be one of them!

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“Of course the draw could’ve been better – ideally, you want ‘the red’ – but it could’ve been a lot worse.

“All you’re ever hoping for is opportunity and I think there will be an opportunity for her. If she’s able to take advantage of that, she’s going to be really hard to stop.”

Wow She’s Fast shares top billing in Sandgroper betting with SA sensation Victa Damian (box 2) and Perth Cup winner Elite Machine (box 8).

Victoria’s second contender, 106-start veteran Fernando Mick (box 6), which has taken SEN’s slot, is $14.

While Fernando Mick has been beaten in five starts since winning the G1 Australian Cup, including fifth in a Perth Cup heat where he uncharacteristically missed the start at $1.40, trainer David Geall maintains he’s close to his best.

“He’s not far away,” Geall offered.

“Two starts ago at The Meadows, he ran second, but ran pretty close to his personal best (29.80sec).

“Then, last run at Sandown, he couldn’t get to the lead and I just felt he did too much work. He was still very close to the winner and for all the work he did, it was still a very good run.

“He missed the start in his Perth Cup heat, so I’ve just forgotten about the run.

“There’s no doubt he does his best when he’s out in front. When he leads, that’s when he really goes.

“I expect him to go well on Friday. If he could lead, he’ll go really well. If he doesn’t lead, he’ll struggle.

“The box draw is against him and the two quickest dogs in the race (Victa Damian and Wow She’s Fast) are down near the fence. But while it’s a bad box, he is a dog that can overcome bad boxes.”

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