Sweet It Is booked her place in greyhound racing folklore with a dazzling last-to-first win in the world’s richest greyhound race, the $250,000 Group 1 RSN Sandown Cup tonight.
A quarter of a century after the great Bold Trease claimed his fourth and final Sandown Cup, Sweet It Is turned in a performance that matched any of the ‘Warrnambool Warrior.’ Sent to the boxes an easing $1.90 favorite, Sweet It Is jumped well from box seven before being shuffled back and finding herself last, 10 lengths adrift of the leader with a lap to run.
After riding a substantial bump going through the catching pen, Sweet It Is rallied to weave her way through and with the roar of the big crowd spurring her on, unleashing a devastating finishing burst to sweep to a jaw-dropping 1.5 length victory in 42.04 seconds. It was a performance that left his trainer Darren McDonald gobsmacked.
“I have goosebumps after watching that,” said McDonald.
“You see the interference she cops – that check through the ‘pen would stop most dogs. It was heart in your mouth stuff but she has a tremendous will to win.”
Sweet It Is, or ‘Zoe’ as she’s known at home, joined McDonald’s Devon Meadows kennel in March after he and good friend Braden Finn paid a substantial figure for the well bred daughter of renown brood Off Springer. Since then, Sweet It Is has won three and finished second four times in seven starts, netting her new connections two Group 1 wins and more than $260,000 in prize money. Former trainer Lenny Jones was among the first to congratulate McDonald after the race, and McDonald was full of praise for the work of her former trainer.
“Lenny did a fantastic job. He bred, reared and educated her so I only had to apply the polish, so it has worked out pretty well for me.”
McDonald is no stranger to Group 1 success having claimed Melbourne Cups, Australian Cups, Golden Easter Eggs and Topguns among his glittering career. However his first RSN Sandown Cup win will go down as one of his most memorable.
“Dad passed away about 12 years ago and it would have been his birthday today. It’s nice having him there on my shoulder tonight helping me across the line.
“You have to cherish these moments because you never know if there’ll be another one come along. My whole family was here tonight and a lot of credit goes to them, without them I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. It’s a special moment”
Earlier in the night, McDonald claimed a support feature when Awesome Project franked his win in the Group 2 Berwick Mazda Harrison-Dawson a week earlier with an impressive victory in the Listed Cup Night Sprint. Between Sweet It Is and Awesome Project, the pair has netted connections over $290,000 in prize money at Sandown Park in May.
Xylia Allen also answered her critics in taking out the Listed Macro Meats Cup Night Sprint in an impressive 41.75 seconds. The $15,000 first prize elevated her prize money to $519,505 and into 12th on the all time stake earners list.
Click here for the full results from tonight’s RSN Sandown Cup meeting
Click here to see Xylia Allen’s Macro Meats Cup Night Stayers win
Click here to see Awesome Project’s Berwick Mazda Cup Night Sprint win
