Favourite Lala Kiwi and Paddy Wants Pats won’t be the only two sprinters flying the flag for Victoria in Saturday night’s Group 1 Sky Racing Perth Cup final (520m) at Cannington.
Equal fastest heat winner Rostered Off (Box 1) and Vice Grip (Box 5) are trained in Western Australia, but the superbly-bred Aston Dee Bee x Bells Are Ringin litter brothers are bred and raced by the Vic-based Four Frothys Syndicate.
“They’re sort of half and half,” quipped syndicate manager Glenn Pask, when asked where their allegiances lay.
“They started off in Victoria and then went over to Perth.
“They always had talent, but it has been a bit of a surprise how well they’ve gone.
“I know the racing is a little bit easier over there but they’ve both really improved. They’d be as good as anything in Perth at the moment.”
Comprising Glenn, his brother Grant, and good mate Jamie Baxter, the Four Frothys Syndicate is well acquainted with Group 1 glory.
Bells Are Ringin, mother of the two Perth Cup finalists, claimed a famous upset in the 2016 Sandown Cup, while her brother Ring The Bell won the National Distance Championship the same year.
Another littermate, brilliant sprinter Blazin’ Bomber, was a seven-time G1 finalist and fastest qualifier for the 2016 Perth Cup, where he ran fifth to Ima Wagtail.
WATCH: Victorian-owned VICE GRIP (3) overcame early trouble in his thrilling 30.01sec Perth Cup heat victory, his 10th win from 14 starts over 520m at Cannington.
Remarkably, the Kinloch Brae x Absolute Stunna litter was the first the Four Frothys Syndicate bred, and the dream has continued with Rostered Off (22 from 68) and Vice Grip (27 from 63).
Since relocating to WA in 2021, Vice Grip, trained by Adam Smithson, has developed into one of the best sprinters in the west.
He’s won 10 from 14 over 520m at Cannington, highlighted by the G2 All Stars Sprint, and he returned to Victoria to take The Dogs WA’s slot in the inaugural Phoenix at The Meadows last December.
After running a close second to Lala Kiwi in the Prelude one week earlier, Vice Grip started $1.30 favourite in his Perth Cup heat last Saturday and recovered from early trouble to claim a last stride 30.01sec success.
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Rostered Off, which is prepared by Paul Stuart, of Miata fame, has competed regularly over middle and staying distances in WA, with his equal Best Of Night 29.65sec heat victory only his second win from eight starts over the Cup course.
Vice Grip is the more fancied of the siblings in TAB betting at $4.80, behind star Victorian raiders Lala Kiwi and Paddy Wants Pats at $2.30 and $3.60 respectively, with rails runner Rostered Off at $8.
“Rostered Off was always the quicker dog – he was about four lengths faster than Vice Grip – but Vice Grip has grown another leg over in Perth,” said Pask.
“Rostered Off has to lead. If he’s in front, he’s very hard to run down, but he can get a bit lost when he’s in behind them.
GROUP 1 PERTH CUP (520m)
Saturday, Cannington Race 4, 11.07pm – First prize $150,000
1 ROSTERED OFF (Paul Stuart, Nambeelup WA)
2 SPEED BANDIT (Enzo Crudeli, Nambeelup WA)
3 MAKURU (Eric Campana, Treeby WA)
4 LALA KIWI (Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC)
5 VICE GRIP (Adam Smithson, Nambeelup WA)
6 ARCHIBALD (Rob Westworth, Southern River WA)
7 WEST ON FINN (Chris Halse, Nambeelup WA)
8 PADDY WANTS PATS (Kelly Bravo, Freshwater Creek VIC)
Reserves
9 SUNSET WHISTLER (Eric Campana, Treeby WA)
10 BUBBLES AWAY (Chris Halse, Nambeelup WA)
“Vice Grip just chases, wherever he is. He came out about two lengths slower than normal in his heat, but he was still able to win.
“Paul (Stuart) was thinking about running Rostered Off in the Galaxy, but he’s probably suited to 600m to 650m and can struggle a bit with the last 50m. With the stayers that were coming over from Victoria, he was better suited in the Perth Cup.
“This is the third time we’ve had a runner in the Perth Cup. Decathalon ran second to Betty’s Angel in 2007, when he led until the winning post. He was owned by the footy club and was the first dog we ever had.
“Group 1s aren’t easy to win but we’ve got 25 per cent of the field, so fingers crossed!”
2016 Sandown Cup winner Bells Are Ringin is the mother of Perth Cup finalists Rostered Off and Vice Grip.
