Can Vice Grip defy the odds in The Phoenix?
West Australian hopes rest on Vice Grip in Saturday night’s inaugural running of the $1.25 million Phoenix at the Meadows.
The son of Aston Dee Bee and Bells Are Ringing has been a revelation since arriving in WA and entering the kennels of Adam Smithson, with 12 starts for seven wins and five placings including a victory in the Group 2 All-Stars final at Cannington.
He was the standout performer in the Road To the Phoenix qualifying series, winning his heat and final of the All Stars before winning the four-dog Road To the Phoenix Qualifier, then the two-dog match race final over Fernando Star.
Despite the quality of those performances, the calibre of his opposition and his awkward draw in box six has seen him posted as a $51 chance with TABtouch to take out the $750,000 winner’s purse on Saturday night.
Boom Victorian sprinter Aston Rupee will exit box five and is the $2.20 favourite. He tuned up for the Phoenix on Monday night when breaking the Shepparton 450-metre track record in a time of 24.69 seconds in a solo trial.
On the second line of betting at $3.40 is fellow Victorian Koblenz who lowered the colours of Aston Rupee when successful in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup final at Sandown Park in late November.
The Jason Thompson-trained True Collinda is an $8 chance from box seven and in box two NSW speedster Jungle Deuce, a half brother to Tommy Shelby, is also rated an $8 chance. Filling out the line-up are Wow She’s Fast at $10, Queenslander Spotted Elk at $21 and Billy Creek off box one a $51 outsider.
The connections of Vice Grip (The Four Frothy’s Syndicate – headed by Glen Pask) are well aware their sprinter will need some luck to figure in the finish but are going in to the feature final with the mindset of enjoying the experience.
“We are very excited to have a runner in the big one and can’t wait for Saturday night.” Pask said when speaking on Greyhound Gossip on TAB Radio on Monday morning.
“You’ve got to be in it to win it and, if we could tuck in behind Aston Rupee, we know that Vice Grip is strong so we just need to hope for the best.
“Adam has done a great job with him and we are proud of what he has been able to achieve of late – hopefully that can continue in the Phoenix.”