Victorian superstar Wow She’s Fast headlines the final field for the $233,250 Group 1 Sportsbet Topgun (525m), which was unveiled on Tuesday night’s episode of The Catching Pen.
Wow She’s Fast is one of three Victorian-trained sprinters invited to contest the headline event on the opening night of the inaugural $4.1 million Sportsbet Dream Chasers Festival, at The Meadows on Saturday week, November 5.
Joining Wow She’s Fast in striving to continue Victoria’s recent domination of the $150,000 to-the-winner Topgun – Vics have won the past seven – is Million Dollar Chase hero McInerney and Zippy Tesla.
NSW also has three runners; French Martini, Good Odds Cash and Zipping Kyrgios, which will be contesting his second Topgun after finishing fifth to Aston Rupee in 2021, while Queensland and Western Australia have one apiece in Orchestrate and Vice Grip, respectively.
The reserves are Victorians Photo Man (first) and Amron Boy.
The eight finalists have combined to bank in excess of $4.7 million in prizemoney.
Kel Greenough, who trains favourite Wow She’s Fast in partnership with wife Jackie, will be striving to win the race for the second time, having been successful with another champion female in Cindeen Shelby in 2009.
Wow She’s Fast hasn’t started since a luckless unplaced effort in the G1 Adelaide Cup as $1.60 favourite on October 7.
Below is a snapshot of the 2022 Sportsbet Topgun field (not in box draw order):
FRENCH MARTINI: Trainer Peter Lagogiane. Won 11 from 19. $141,965 prizemoney. Won G2 Black Top, G3 Ladies Bracelet, 3rd G3 New Sensation, finalist G1 Peter Mosman, G2 Flying Amy Classic.
GOOD ODDS CASH: Trainer Frank Hurst. Won 28 from 59. $389,580 prizemoney. Won G1 National Sprint Championship, G2 Maitland Cup, G2 Richmond Oaks, G3 Origin Series, 2nd G1 Golden Easter Egg, finalist G2 Black Top, G3 Brother Fox, Million Dollar Chase.
MCINERNEY: Trainer Brendan Pursell. Won 23 from 54. $1,122,270 prizemoney. Won Million Dollar Chase, 3rd G1 National Sprint Championship, finalist G3 Bill Collins Speed Star.
ORCHESTRATE: Trainer Tony Brett. Won 23 from 47. $567,496 prizemoney. Won G1 Brisbane Cup, G3 Rockhampton Cup (2021), Listed Young Guns (2021), 2nd G3 Super Sprinters, 2nd G3 Origin Series, 3rd G2 Flying Amy Classic (2021), finalist G1 Gold Bullion.
VICE GRIP: Trainer Adam Smithson. Won 36 from 79. $517,820 prizemoney. Won G1 Perth Cup, G2 All Stars Sprint (2021 and 2022), G3 Mandurah Cup, Listed Spring Gift, Listed Lew Dorsa Memorial, 2nd Listed Canning Show Cup, finalist The Phoenix, G3 Darwin Cup (2021).
WOW SHE’S FAST: Trainer Jackie Greenough. Won 15 from 21. $1,176,370 prizemoney. Won G1 Maturity Classic, G1 Sapphire Crown, G3 Launching Pad, G3 Bill Collins Speed Star, finalist G1 Adelaide Cup, The Phoenix.
ZIPPING KYRGIOS: Trainer John Finn. Won 32 from 74. $555,515 prizemoney. Won G2 Gosford Cup, G2 Black Top (2021), G3 Bob Payne Sprint (2021), Listed The Collerson, 2nd G2 Black Top, 2nd Million Dollar Chase, 3rd G2 Richmond Derby, G3 Christmas Gift, finalist G1 Temlee, G1 Topgun (2021), G1 Gold Bullion, G1 Megastar (2021), G3 The Ambrosoli.
ZIPPY TESLA: Trainer Brad Keel. Won 13 from 46. $241,825 prizemoney. Won G1 Silver Chief, 2nd G1 Adelaide Cup, 2nd G3 The Ambrosoli, finalist G1 Australian Cup, G1 Temlee.
The field for the G1 Sportsbet Topgun Stayers (730m), worth $75,000 to-the-winner, was also announced.
As with the sprint version, three Victorians made the cut; First Picked, Mepunga Ruby and Untapped, along with Queenslanders Days Of Thunder and Oh Oh Range, NSW star Super Estrella, South Australian Fantastic Radley, and Western Australia’s Tsar Bell.
The box draws for the Topguns will be held at The Meadows during Monday night’s traditional thoroughbred Melbourne Cup Eve meeting, which features the heats of the G1 Hume Cup (600m) and the G3 Silver Bullet (525m).
