Tempting Dash and Winsome Jet nab Group 2 glory

By Josh Spasaro

Just three starts back, Tempting Dash finished fifth in a fifth-grade race over 520 metres on Boxing Day.

But, on Thursday night she was treated to a McDonalds ice cream by champion trainer Tom Tzouvelis.

That was after a stunning two-and-three-quarter length victory in the Group 2 Bogie Leigh Futurity Final at Q2 Parklands, crossing the line in 29.59 seconds.

“We always get some soft-serve ice creams for them after a run,” Tzouvelis said.

“They look at you weird when you line up at Maccas and you’re ordering so many of them.”

The Park Ridge conditioner never lost faith that his two-year-old bitch – in just her eighth start – would rise to the occasion in the $112,525 juvenile feature also over 520 metres.

“She broke down in the Flying Amy heats going back to May,” Tzouvelis said.

“We sent her back to the owners to rehabilitate her in Melbourne. George Farrugia’s dad Laurie rehabilitated her to be a labrador because she came back much heavier.

“But, they did a fantastic job with her. When she came back, she was in perfect condition.”

But, some over-keenness when exiting the boxes saw Tempting Dash go winless in her first four starts back from a spell, including her fifth place on Boxing Day.

Tzouvelis knew a handful of starts was all it would take for his fast-developing bitch to hit her peak for Futurity and Derby night.

The way Tempting Dash flashed home on Thursday night was also the way she finished when she won her heat by a length a week earlier.

“(Race caller) Johnny Brasch said to me last week ‘she picked the right time to come good’,” Tzouvelis said.

“And, I said ‘it’s probably just a matter of having a bit of racing and taking that freshness out of her’.

“She’s a bit overkeen. She’s one of those dogs who gives you 100 percent. The week-to-week racing has been fantastic for her to settle her down again.”

The post-race McDonalds ice creams seem to be working for Tempting Dash and they were shared around Tzouvelis’ kennels with Zipping Lipa completing a quinella in the Futurity Final.

With the victor by Hooked On Scotch and out of Super Tora, Tzouvelis knew he unearthed a rare talent after she won by an incredible nine-and-a-quarter lengths in her debut on May 12.

“When she first kicked off, she was the fastest maiden winner ever at The Q. She ran 29.48 seconds and we thought we had something pretty special,” Tzouvelis said.

“And, then three runs later she broke down pretty badly. You don’t know what to expect if they’re ever going to come back or if she’ll want to be a broodbitch.

“But, it was terrific to see her come back. Even the run by the second dog, Zipping Lipa, she’s a lot younger and a lot more immature. Her run was super as well.”

After overcoming her injury setback, the future looks bright for Tempting Dash.

“We’ll nominate for the Golden Ticket next week. I don’t know if she’ll get a run. Hopefully being a last-start Group winner, you’d hope she might,” Tzouvelis said.

“But, I don’t know what sort of quality they’ve got coming from other states for the race. So, we’ll nominate and hopefully we can go well.

“Then we’ll look at stepping her up in distance and seeing what her future is over a bit more ground.”

Earlier in the night, Autumn Storm won the third Golden Sands heat and Electrify finished runner-up in the first heat for the 2024-25 Australian Trainer of the Year.

Both will line up in the Group 1 Final next Thursday night.

“Autumn came back terrific (from a wrist injury). She made a heap of Group Finals last year and she won The 715 – the richest staying race in the world,” Tzouvelis said.

“That was a huge thrill for us and the owners. She’s getting closer to retirement now, but she’s still showing she wants to race.

“She’s just a very competitive dog. She’s got good racing habits where she jumps well and rails good.

“So, she puts herself in her races and she’s always a chance. It’s hard to believe she won a Group sprint race, the Ipswich Cup. And, then she’s won the richest staying race over the distance.

“Electrify is a young dog we only just got for this carnival. Owner Greg Doyle trains him in Melbourne. He transferred him to us.

“We’ve trained a lot of that dam line and we’ve pretty much got the rest of that litter. His run was super, as well.”

Later on Thursday night, Winsome Jet was also a convincing winner of the Queensland Derby Final, prevailing by three-and-a-half lengths after crossing the line in a sizzling 29.32 seconds.

The 23-month-old dog is under the care of Darryl Thomas and Michelle Sultana, after being transferred north from top New South Wales trainer, Melinda Finn.

The big win meant it was a fine start for the training duo in the Sunshine State after recently moving to their South Maclean property from Londonderry in western Sydney.

“We’re caretaking for Minnie,” Thomas said.

“She’s had a plan for this dog for a while. She told us ‘when you go to Queensland, I’ll send him to you for the Derby’.

“She came through and look at him. He went like a rocket.

“There are none better than Min. These dogs have come here in A1 condition. We’ve just had to look after them, keep them happy and sound and away they’ve gone.”

Indeed, Winsome Jet lived up to his name by running down Dashing Jordy before the turn for home and opening up a big lead by the time he saluted.

“He’s a pretty good animal. Minnie has always told us how good he is, and she was dead set right,” Thomas said. 

“I was very confident. I thought the way the draw was that he was going to get room to move (from box six) in the first 50 metres.

“And, this is what he needs. His run (in his heat) last week I thought was outstanding. He missed the start, copped a check and ran down Pop’s Maestro.

“We knew – third run at the track he was probably going to improve. We thought he could run that time and he did. So, we’re really happy.”