Whiskey Riot is a good dog. A very good dog in fact, and a win in tonight’s TAB Australian Cup will see him take his place among some of the best we’ve seen.
‘Red’, as Whiskey Riot is known at trainer Anthony Azzopardi’s state of the art kennels in Rowsley, began his career in blazing fashion winning seven on his first eight starts and nine of his first 12, with seven of those victories coming in the fastest time of the night. But it was his win at Sandown Park in August that caught my eye. Running 5.01 to the first mark, he held off Neo Cleo – a feature race winner over both 515m and 595m and later named the Sandown Greyhound of the Year – in 29.26, fast enough to catapult him to the top of the Speed Star standings.
“He’s really matured into a really nice dog,” said Azzopardi at the time.
“He’s finding form at the right time.”
That may have been one of the biggest understatements of 2019. In the 16 starts subsequent, Whiskey Riot has won seven (with two group 1s) and placed in seven others (four of which at group level). His last 10 starts have included six group finals and their heats (his last graded race was a FFA win at the Meadows in October). At a time where the depth in quality of sprinters is as good as we’ve seen in generations, it’s a form line that would match any modern sprinter other than perhaps his father Fernando Bale.
Speaking of Fernando Bale, he sired half the Australian Cup field – Whiskey Riot and his litter brother Fernando’s Riot, as well as Aston Cade and Scatterbox. A win by one of his offspring would be the third Australian Cup on the bounce for the breed shaping sire following Hecton Bale (2018) and Dyna Patty (2019). A win by Whiskey Riot would see him pass Tornado Tears as Fernando Bale’s highest earning progeny, and if he or Fernando’s Riot win their dam Ready To Riot’s progeny earnings with skyrocket to beyond $2.6m and establish a new world record.
Imagine the stud career that awaits!
Whiskey Riot’s post racing career will be the furthest thing from Anthony Azzopardi’s mind as he prepares for one of Australia’s premier race nights. As will the dark days of 2015 when the sport’s uncertain future saw him consider hanging up the collar and lead. It was a sliding doors moment, but with partner Kylee and daughter Kaylah, the family made to the decision to move ‘all in’ on their shared love of the sport. Or rather, they moved out. The Azzopardis departed New South Wales and moved to Victoria before quickly establishing themselves as one of the leading conditioners in the sport’s most competitive jurisdictions.
A win tonight will be the 17th group 1 title of his training career and impressively, the 10th since making the move south in February 2016. It will also take the prize money earned by his greyhounds beyond $4m in those four years. By any definition, the move has been a success. And he’s not done yet.
Before the box draw, many viewed the TAB Australian Cup as Whiskey Riot’s to lose. He enters the final with $750,810 in career earnings and a 2-5-1 record from 10 group race appearances. His rivals have won $422,635 and have a 0-0-1 record from 11 group finals combined. He ran 29.47 in his heat – just a tenth outside the track record and the equal fourth fastest time ever recorded around the Broadmeadows circuit – after the fastest first split of the night. His winning time was five lengths faster than the next fastest qualifier.
On record and performance, he looks unbeatable. Box draws, however, are the great leveller.
Whiskey Riot has never missed a place from box 8 and nine Australian Cup winners have donned the pink vest to glory, including two of the last three victors. But the a runner’s box is only part of the equation – what draws around it also matters. Noted wide runner Scatterbox has drawn on Whiskey Riot’s inside causing concern for connections and punters alike. The common line of thinking is that the rank outsider will put paid to the favourite at box rise. Whiskey Riot blew out from $1.60 to $2 following the draw and has eased further to $2.40 on race morning.
Great dogs find a way to win.
A win tonight would see Whiskey Riot become the fourth greyhound to complete the Melbourne Cup-Australia Cup final and the sixth to earn $1m in prize money. And would see ‘Red’ take his place among the sport’s greatest champions.
The TAB Australian Cup will be run at 9.50pm with live coverage on 7mate from 9pm.
Click here for details about TAB Australian Cup night
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Whiskey Riot wins the world’s greatest greyhound race, the TAB Melbourne Cup. He’s aiming to become the fourth greyhound to complete the Melbourne Cup-Australian Cup double
