Amron Boy ready for Adelaide assault
Thursday night will hold one of the bigger series run on the South Australian Greyhound Racing calendar, with the South Australia vs All Star match race series taking place, with the winner securing a ticket to the Tab Adelaide Cup in two weeks time. The concept and winning prize has proven to be a real hit amongst the interstate trainers in recent times, with the Sandown track record holder in Aston Rupee venturing over last year. His journey was successful as he won the series and earnt his place in the Adelaide Cup, breaking the track record in the process, which is still standing. This year will have a similar theme, with two of the fastest dogs in the country coming over in the hope of booking their spot in the Adelaide Cup. Wow She’s Fast trialled in a quick 30.19 last week and will no doubt go into the series as favourite, however another Victorian in the form of Amron Boy will be there, fresh off a Million Dollar Chase tilt. An imposing chaser who has won 10 from 23, he has shown his freakish ability with fast wins at both The Meadows (29.55) and Sandown Park (29.07). It was on the drive home from a luckless Million Dollar Chase qualifying effort, that trainer Brooke Ennis thought she would come over for the match race series.
“It was kind of an afterthought on the way home really. The match race wasn’t even on our radar, moreso the Adelaide Cup. We were looking to trial and then we thought why not go in the match race series and see if we can get a run in that.” said Ennis
Since the Million Dollar Chase qualifier which was 9 days ago, Amron Boy has had a spin around Sandown Park, and went terrific.
“He trialled at Sandown and went super since Sydney last weekend, so he’s good to go, he just hasn’t been around Angle Park.”
Most of the intrigue on Thursday will center around what sort of times these two star chasers will get too and whether they can break the magic ‘30 barrier’. Ennis says that their isn’t a great deal between Amron Boy and Wow She’s Fast.
“I really don’t know (what time he can run), I’m not all that familiar with the times over there but Wow She’s Fast went around on Thursday night and there's a little bit between them, but on their night there's not a great deal between them. Obviously the conditions she (Wow She’s Fast) was under the other night weren't great. For us it doesn’t really matter if he trials there or races there first, he tends to trial quick all the time. Hopefully he can get out and get a clear run.”
Amron Boy has come up against the South Australian star Victa Grosso, who has been airborne breaking two track records in his last four starts. Victa Grosso is incredibly strong so it will be important that Amron Boy comes out well, considering the track knowledge advantage that he is giving away.
“I’ve seen him (Victa Grosso) race over here and I know his Victorian form from here. He’s run 34.40s here at Sandown over the 600, I don’t know what his early pace is like but I’d like him to have none personally!” Ennis quipped
“He looks like he’s a very consistent dog over there.”
Ennis will be making the trip over from Lara, which is 8 hours away from Angle Park.
“We’ll travel over in the morning and we’ll head back Thursday night, whether it’s half way or straight back, it’ll just depend.“
If Amron Boy is unsuccessful then he will most likely be returning next week to try and win his way into the final, through the Adelaide Cup heats.
“We’ll see how well he goes and make a decision from there. It’s obviously a race we would like to try and win (Match races) so we don’t have to come back. Then we can just come for the cup and it would obviously be nice to win that. Then you get a look in for the Topgun over here and things like that. At this stage if he gets beaten we will come back but we will play it by ear.”
Wow She’s Fast will likely start a firm favourite come Thursday night and whilst Ennis concedes that she is the one to beat, she also gives Amron Boy a solid chance.
“Yeah absolutely, she’s got great form and I absolutely love her to be honest! If not, she’s the quickest dog in Australia at the moment, but on their night they can run pretty close times, so she’s probably the main danger. Now we’ve drawn on the outside of Victa Grosso and she’s drawn the fence, it does make it a little bit more difficult. I guess it just depends on who is the best on the night but I definitely think it will be between her and my dog.”
Other match races on the night will be:
Stout Monelli (AS) vs Fly For Trix (SA)
Just A Sort (AS) vs Giant’s Flash (SA)
Wow She’s Fast (AS) vs Mallee Magic (SA)
It will most certainly be a fantastic night of racing on Thursday, with 8 brilliant greyhounds all looking to secure their birth in the $100,000 Adelaide Cup final on October 7th.
The match race series will begin at 7:22pm local time.
