As the interstate chasing contingents arrived in Brisbane, the heats for the 2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic held on Thursday night promised to deliver entertainment and upsets galore.
It did not take long for either to come to fruition starting in the first and continuing through all seven heats of the $225,000 feature.
The South Australians (SA) came, saw and conquered with a trio of winners from the heats for the Rasmussen clan, franking the form from last week’s Group 3 Howard Ashton final at Angle Park where the Rasmussen family started seven of the eight runners.
In the first Flying Amy Classic heat, SA greyhound Victa Marli trained by Tony Rasmussen upset everyone as the rank outsider of the field paying +3300 with greyhound bookmakers.
The daughter of Fernando Bale and Victa Polly began brilliantly from box seven and took on +190 second favourite Rocket Riot determinedly, before Victa Marli ‘broke him’ and careered away for a good 30.46 win.
Rocket Riot wilted in the run to finish sixth after going head-to-head with the winner.
2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic Heat 1 – Victa Marli (30.34) T: Tony Rasmussen
Victa Marli was a 2023 Group 3 Howard Ashton finalist at Angle Park alongside litter mates Victa Damian, Victa Tara, Victa Tony, Victa Alby and Victa Speed.
The dark brindle bitch wasn’t the quickest of the Flying Amy Classic winners, but the courageous nature of her win won her plenty of admirers.
It was all Rasmussen and SA in the second heat as well, when the reigning Group 3 Howard Ashton winner and Angle Park track record holder, Victa Damian, started a long odds on -200 favourite with greyhound betting sites, and didn’t disappoint fans.
Even at his first look at the Albion Park track, there was a lot of talk around the chances for the Lisa Rasmussen-trained chaser who has been putting in impressive performances on greyhound tracks around the country with 13 wins and two placings from 19 career starts.
From the jump, he was a little slow out, then was pushed back in the run to the first turn, before swinging out three deep past the 700m boxes in the back straight where he began to unwind.
Out in ‘free air’ the sheer class of Victa Damian was evident for all to see, going on to a commanding win over the field to win in 30.03 coming away.
2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic Heat 2 – Victa Damian (30.03) T: Lisa Rasmussen
Bred by Joan Schadow, the winner should enter next week’s $150,000 to-the-winner final as a strong favourite off the back of his strong performance, and no doubt has plenty of improvement to come at his second start at the track.
Victa Damian now become a four-time group race finalist having won the 2023 Group 1 National Derby at Wentworth Park, running third in the 2023 Group 1 Australian Cup at The Meadows, winning the Howard Ashton final, and now making the Group 2 Flying Amy Classic final.
He has already been backed heavily backed in to +800 with greyhound betting apps in ‘all-in’ betting to win the Group 1 Brisbane Cup on July 7.
“That was an incredible run,” Tony Rasmussen said immediately after that heat.
“He should never have won that race after he got checked on that first corner. He was that far back. I still cannot believe he won the race.
“But, he has used his brains and sheer talent has won that race for him.
“I rate that run as one of his best because he came from the back of the field and showed real guts.”
SA, Joan Schadow’s Fernando Bale x Victa Polly litter, and the Rasmussen family; claimed the final heat of the Flying Amy Classic when Victa Alby took the spoils at his Queensland debut.
Victa Alby was sent out to win the last heat a +400 third favourite with greyhound betting odds from box two, but was forced to chase the Jason Thompson-trained Stealth for half the race before kicking away to win in 30.09.
2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic Heat 7 – Victa Alby (30.09) T: Tony Rasmussen
Tony Rasmussen was thrilled to qualify Victa Damian, Victa Marli and Victa Alby for the Group 2 final.
“I am ecstatic with that result tonight, three in the final,” he said.
“It is a big effort to come all the way up here and do this. A few people laughed at me when I said that I was coming up here for the carnival.
“But, at the end of the day, if you don’t try you don’t know, do you.
“I trialed on Monday and it has paid off.
“Coming up here is not all about the money for us. It is more about the prestige of winning these races now that we have the dogs that we think can do it.
“I have always said that if I have a dog that can be competitive in these big races, then I will go. I will travel anywhere.”
In addition to the Howard Ashton final at Angle Park, Victa Alby also made the final of the 2023 Group 3 Launching Pad won by Trooper Tears at Sandown over 515m.
Prior to the heats, it did look like Jason Thompson would hold a strong hand in the 2023 Flying Amy Classic, and results ended that way after the Victorian-based trainer won a heats double with two of his three chances.
In the fourth heat of the Group 2 heats, Alpha Zulu showed why he was the heavily backed +130 favourite in greyhound betting taking his career record to six wins from eight starts with a 29.21 win.
The son of Orson Allen and Cyclone Jebel had to work hard to get control of the race, but put it beyond doubt from the first corner, coming away from the field in the end.
2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic Heat 4 – Alpha Zulu (29.91) T: Jason Thompson
Alpha Zulu, who does not reach two-years-of-age until September, will be contesting his first black-type race final, but has already posted quick wins at The Meadows in 29.66 and 29.71, and will go in to the final as the second fastest qualifier.
Thompson’s other $150,000 to-the-winner final qualifier came through the the penultimate Flying Amy Classic heat, where all eyes were on the Western Australian trained Group 2 WA Derby winner Crumble Monelli, who was a +250 second favourite at his first Queensland run, and Thompson’s +210 favourite Umberto, from box eight.
Crumble Monelli was looking for his sixth straight win, while Umberto was looking to improve his record of six wins from 14 starts.
Umberto hit the lead early, spearing to the lead and gave nothing else a chance in 29.94, despite getting tired in the run home.
2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic Heat 6 – Umberto (29.94) T: Jason Thompson
Umberto (Bernardo x Triscay) made the final of the 2023 Group 2 Vic Bred Maiden final at The Meadows, at his only other black-type final.
The young black dog won’t turn two years-of-age for another seven weeks.
Heat 5 of the Flying Amy Classic saw New South Wales strike a blow when the John Finn-trained Zipping Remus overcome early trouble from box two to win running away in 30.17.
Greyhound punters had lined local greyhound Professor Snitch lined up as a -142.86 favourite despite now being trained in Victoria by Steve White.
With Deemed A Liar flying to a clear lead from box five, Professor Snitch and Zipping Remus were forced to negotiate traffic in to the first corner, where all three greyhounds tangled.
Zipping Remus, as the +200 second favourite in betting, did the best of the three to regain composure, and despite being forced wide, he sped around them to the lead and put the race away by five lengths in 30.17.
2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic Heat 5 – Zipping Remus (30.17) T: John Finn
Zipping Remus was racing on debut at Albion Park after a flying 29.45 at Wentworth Park following a marring charge at Dubbo, NSW.
The third placegetter in the 2023 Group 3 Magic Maiden final at Wentworth Park on Golden Easter Egg night, will almost certainly be greatly improved at his second look at Albion Park under race conditions.
The son of Feral Franky and Zipping Tayla is a litter brother to 2023 Group 3 Magic Maiden runner-up Zipping Elkie, and Magic Maiden fourth place-getter Zipping Rousey.
Locally trained by Greg Stella, Magistrate emerged as the quickest qualifier for the 2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic, winning the third heat of the series.
Sent out a +260 second favourite in betting Magistrate, with the aid of the inside box draw, was able to rail up under early leader Double Up Bill (+2500) and the race was over from that point.
Victorian greyhound Dundee Rebel, for trainer Geoff Scott-Smith, chased hard to finish on the heels of Magistrate and qualify for the $150,000 to-the-winner final in as the second fastest qualifier in 29.89.
The pair cleared out from the rest of the field with over seven lengths back to third.
The -125 race favourite Trooper Tears was never sighted in the run.
2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic Heat 3 – Magistrate (29.82) T: Greg Stella
Magistrate’s preparation for the Group 2 race series was a little unorthodox, being sent to the rich race series following two second placings down the Capalaba straight.
Trained by Greg Stella he has now won four from six starts over the Albion Park track and distance and taken 15 victories from 26 starts.
“Very happy with the run,” Stella said.
“He used the red box and improved his run home time and actually ran his best time.
“I thought he could lead off the draw and that’s what he did.
“The fields are outstanding for the heats and the club could not have hoped for any better.”
Magistrate, by Fernando Bale out of Inspired Hope, won the 2023 Group 3 Ipswich Auction Series final, and made the final of the recent Group 3 Brisbane Young Guns won by Dolly Dutton.|
Magistrate will be the lone Queensland greyhound finalist defending state pride against the three SA ‘Victa’ littermates, three Victorian greyhounds and Zipping Remus from NSW.
Dundee Rebel (Feral Frank x Dundee Calypso) was a 2023 Launching Pad finalist at Sandown, where he won both his heat and semi-final prior to being unplaced in the final.
The Victorian greyhound is trained by Geoff Scott-Smith and is a litter brother to 2023 Group 1 Harrison Dawson placed Dundee Smokey.
The box draw for the feature Group 2 final was performed trackside and has gifted Jason Thompson the prized box one draw with Victorian dog Umberto, but the pride of SA, Victa Damian, will be ‘hot on his heels’ in the run from box two.
2023 Group 2 Flying Amy Classic Final
2023 Flying Amy Classic Box Draw & FieldAlbion Park520mGroup 2$150,000 to-the-winnerThursday June 8 2023 |
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1 Umberto
T: Jason ThompsonF: 1131Career: 15: 7-3-4Prizemoney: $44,475
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2 Victa Damian
T: Lisa RasmussenF: 1111Career: 20: 14-0-2Prizemoney: $229,725
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3 Victa Alby
T: Tony RasmussenF: 2381Career: 25: 11-4-3Prizemoney: $59,590
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4 Zipping Remus
T: John FinnF: 2511Career: 7: 4-1-1Prizemoney: $21,595
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5 Alpha Zulu
T: Jason ThompsonF: 3111Career: 8: 6-1-1Prizemoney: $40,545
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6 Dundee Rebel
T: Geoff Scott-SmithF: 85F2Career: 30: 7-6-3Prizemoney: $49,360
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7 Magistrate
T: Greg StellaF: 1221Career: 26: 15-6-1Prizemoney: $102,800
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8 Victa Marli
T: Tony RasmussenF: 1151Career: 40: 16-8-4Prizemoney: $55,278
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| Reserves | |
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9 Crackerjack Aret
T: Jordan CooperF: 4122Career: 21: 8-2-1Prizemoney: $41,835
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10 Custard Monelli
T: Dave HobbyF: 2232Career: 31: 10-7-9Prizemoney: $118,630
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