Superstar Explicit has stamped himself as the sport’s champion greyhound, winning the Melbourne Cup in his penultimate race start to give Team Thompson their fifth triumph in the time-honoured race.
Avoiding trouble at the first turn at Sandown Park, Explicit looped the field and kicked clear down the back, and they could not chase the favourite down.
“I don’t know how he did it; how he whipped around them and got to the front, I can’t believe it,” Luke Thompson said.
He’d won a Temlee, but the big majors had eluded Explicit until Saturday night.
The Melbourne Cup was his second group 1 triumph, adding to a Ballarat Cup, a Shepparton Cup and a Great Chase final.
For Team Thompson, the triumph adds to the wins of Light Of Fire (1994), Got A Moment (2012), Black Magic Opal (2013) and Aston Dee Bee (2017).
He’ll have his final start in the world’s richest greyhound race, The Phoenix, on Saturday 21 December, representing Awesome Lodge.
“This dog from day one, we knew he was a group 1 dog,” Thompson told the Racing.com broadcast.
“We knew he was a group 1 dog from the start.
“When he won the Temlee, everyone expected him to win every race from that point on, but they’re tough races to win, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got box one or eight.
“Anything can happen.
“All we wanted to see was him win a big group 1 … and he’s done it tonight. I’m just so proud of him.
“It’s what we work hard for.
“The Melbourne Cup just has that history and prestige to it, and so lucky to win it four times in the past, and to add a fifth one this year, just so grateful to have these unbelievable dogs.”
Kennelmate Joey The Jet finished second from West Australian raider Miss Envy, with rank outsider Buddy Monelli in fourth.
Schillaci was the hard luck story.
He looked destined to lead into the first turn from box three, but Sunset Frazier was cramped for room on his heels and he tumbled down, interfering with Schillaci.
Sunset Frazier finished the race and was vetted, found to have a sore left wrist.
He will be stood down from racing for seven days.
Epitomize was vetted and had no apparent injury.
