‘Wonder woman’ Wow She’s Fast has enjoyed a low-key training regimen in preparation for the Group 1 Adelaide Cup final (530m) at Angle Park on Friday night.
“Team Greenough” (Jackie and Kel) has avoided the ‘lure’ of trialling Australia’s No. 1 sprinter since her track record-breaking SA vs All Stars Match Race Challenge win at Angle Park on September 22.
Wow She’s Fast notched her sixth successive win, clocking a stunning 29.86sec, which sliced 1.5L off Aston Rupee’s 29.95sec mark – ironically set in the same event last year. It provided her with exemption status from last week’s Adelaide Cup heats.
“We’ve just been working her up our straight track,” Kel Greenough said. “We didn’t want to run her out of the boxes behind a ‘noisy’ lure and then bring her back behind a ‘quiet’ lure at Angle Park. We didn’t want to throw her out of synch.”
The ‘softly, softly’ no trial policy has Wow She’s Fast “cherry ripe” for the $100,000 to-the-winner final and a tilt at a third G1 victory and an opportunity to provide the Greenoughs with a second Adelaide Cup trophy, having saluted with Hotline Hero in 2004.
“But my theory is the wider you draw at Angle Park, the less chance you have of ‘hearing’ the lure and getting across.”
This year, Wow She’s Fast has already won the Maturity Classic (July 23) and Sapphire Crown (May 19). And last year, she landed a whopping $750,000 first prize in the inaugural Phoenix (December 18).
She also won this year’s G3 Launching Pad and G3 Bill Collins Speed Star.
“I think she’s cherry ripe… It’s been hard to work out the best way to go forward with her, but there’s no problem with fitness or anything – she’s in tip-top shape,” Kel added.
However, he has slight reservations about Wow She’s Fast having drawn Box 5 – albeit that hasn’t swayed punters as she’s a raging $1.60 favourite to snare her 16th win from 21 starts.
“The ‘yellow’ makes it a little bit tougher, but it’s better than six, seven or eight. You’ve just got to hope for the best.
“But my theory is the wider you draw at Angle Park, the less chance you have of ‘hearing’ the lure and getting across. And I think the stats back that up.”
It’s worth noting that Wow She’s Fast (Feb ’20 My Bro Fabio x Fair Of Face) won the Sapphire Crown from box five. In fact, she’s unbeaten in four starts from the ‘squeeze’ box, including a sizzling 29.09sec on race debut (September 26, 2021) at Sandown Park.
Win, lose or draw the Adelaide Cup, Wow She’s Fast ($1,175,870) will remain fifth on Australia’s top stake earners ‘money tree’.
WOW SHE’S FAST is a raging $1.60 favourite to collect her third G1 trophy in the Adelaide Cup.
But she would inch ever so closer behind Fanta Bale ($1,365,175), She’s A Pearl ($1,362,210), Good Odds Harada ($1,336,625) and Fernando Bale ($1,299,370).
And the husband-and-wife Greenough team is eyeing further riches as the ‘Metro Festival of Racing’ approaches.
“We’re looking at the Topgun, Melbourne Cup, and another crack at the Phoenix,” Kel said.
However, he adds the much mooted ‘match race’ with NSW superstar She’s A Pearl – tentatively scheduled for The Meadows on October 22 – is “up in the air”.
WATCH: WOW SHE’S FAST (B5) semaphores a scintillating near-record 28.82sec, streaking away for a 7.6L Sapphire Crown romp at Sandown Park.
“We’re still unsure whether it will take place… We’re still waiting on the other party. But there’s still plenty of big races to target if it doesn’t go ahead.”
Regardless, greyhound racing aficionados would be delighted to hear Wow She’s Fast – one of five Victorian finalists in the Adelaide Cup – will race on towards the 2023 ‘Australian Cup Carnival’.
“We have no immediate plans to retire her… If things are going well, that’s where we’ll be heading early next year,” Kel said.
“It’s in the lap of the gods whether she’s still sound or comes on season. We’ll tick these boxes as they come up.”
WATCH: WOW SHE’S FAST (B1) staves off DUSTY BOURBSKI (B5) in the Maturity Classic at The Meadows.
