Adhana Rico gives Griffiths Gawler Cup Glory
Adhana Rico for trainer Ashlee Griffiths has taken out the 2023 Gawler Gold Cup final, winning an excellent final just ahead of Stout Monelli in front of a healthy crowd on Sunday night.
Jumping from the inside box one draw, Adhana Rico found itself second on the first turn but was quickly passed by Stout Monelli for Victorian trainer David Geall, who opened up a break down the back straight.
Adhana Rico was able to close the gap entering the home straight, going neck and neck with Stout Monelli before passing late to win by a quarter of a length in a time of 30.81.
Springvale Max for trainer Gavin Harris finished in third place while Springvale Bray for Michael Giniotis rounded out the first four.
The Group 3 success at Gawler was the latest feature win in an excellent year for Griffiths who is emerging as one of the state’s best young trainers with her success including the SA Distance Championship, an Adelaide Cup heat win and the Murray Bridge Straight Track Cup.
Speaking on the dais post-race, Griffiths said she was thrilled to claim Gawler Gold Cup success with Adhana Rico.
“It was so exciting, he did very well to get there. I didn’t think he was going to get there and go past him (Stout Monelli) but he made up a lot of ground,” Griffiths said.
“It is my first group that I have won, so yeah it is pretty fantastic.”
The Gawler Gold Cup success wasn’t the only success on the night for Griffiths with her star short-course greyhound Cash On Delivery taking out the Gawler Sprint Classic.
Jumping from box eight in a high-quality field, Cash On Delivery showcased his early speed and powered to the lead opening up a winning advantage,
Cash On Delivery stopped the clock in a slick 22.53 finishing three lengths ahead of his kennel mate Rockin’ Rhino while Go Go Snow for Tamica Dunn finished in third.
The distance feature was the Bothing Stayers Cup final over the 643m distance which was taken out by South Australia’s most in-form greyhound in Zipping Neutron.
Zipping Neutron entered the final as a red-hot favourite after clocking 36.92 in his heat which is just one of the few times that 37 seconds has been broken on the Gawler track.
Zipping Neutron showed more of the same in the final, once again breaking the 37 second barrier in a dominant display where it stopped the clock in 36.99 and winning by nine lengths which made it 18 wins out of 20 starts since it arrived in South Australia earlier this year.
The impressive run of recent form has his trainer Tim Aloisi eyeing off a place in the lucrative Top Gun series in Melbourne in November.
“I am very proud of the dog, he hasn’t done anything wrong since he has come to SA. You keep waiting for him to slip up but he keeps on delivering,” Aloisi said.
“All things going well, the dog has won 17 of his last 19 and we hope he’d get invited to the Top Gun but we will find out this week.”
The Gawler Cup Consolation was taken out by Agent Nineteen for local trainer Ben Rawlings who defeated a red-hot field as it stopped the clock in an impressive 30.59 while holding off the fast-finishing He’s All Purpose.