Meadows adds winning chapter in Anakie’s True Detective story
DETERMINED Anakie greyhound True Detective exploded away for an emphatic victory in the Group 3 The Fireball (725m) at The Meadows on Saturday night.
Australia’s most versatile greyhound, True Detective began brilliantly from box two and led the field a merry dance in the $25,000-to-the-winner final.
Trained by Jeff Britton, True Detective ($3.70) defeated Sunset Bourbski ($6.40) by 2.5 lengths, with Rockstar Beav ($10.20) a further 2.37 lengths away third in 42.70s (both minor placegetters are trained by Andrea Dailly).
True Detective notched his 25th win from 46 starts and his stakes spiralled to $390,245.
It was his fourth win from eight starts over The Meadows staying trip. He’s also won four of his past six starts.
True Detective has built an imposing black type CV: 1st G1
Hume Cup ( 600m) – The Meadows; 2nd G1 Fanta Bale Super Stayers (725m) – The Meadows; 2nd G1 Sandown Cup (715m); 1st G2 Summer Distance Plate (720m) – Wentworth Park. He also finished fourth in the G1 Zoom Top (725m) – The Meadows.
The Fireball is named in honour of former champion and five-time G1 winner Destini Fireball, who was trained at Lethbridge by Norm Rinaldi and was labelled as “an honest and powerful dog — speed, strength and endurance”.
Ironically, True Detective epitomises what this race is all about. He exemplifies all of Destini Fireball’s traits.
Highly energetic and unflagging, True Detective is owned by the Kramerica syndicate managed by George Farrugia, who co-hosted The Meadows Facebook coverage of the Maturity Classic meeting. An ecstatic Farrugia said post-race that he “couldn’t feel my legs at one stage”.
Farrugia bought True Detective and his littermates as pups from a friend who was retiring from the sport. It was a big decision and it has paid dividends.
“(True Detective) has got stronger and stronger as he’s gone along … He’s going a bit better than my AFL side, the Hawks,” he quipped.