When Grey Areas listeners ask questions, we make sure we find the answers.
Earlier this week, a loyal listener wanted to know what had sparked the outstanding form of Retaliation since joining the kennel of owner-trainer Josh Formosa. As it turns out, there is a story behind it.
Formosa was initially in discussions to purchase Retaliation’s litter brother, Repellent, when he discovered both greyhounds were available.
“When I was talking to the Tullio’s about purchasing Repellent, I was made aware Retaliation was possibly available as well, so I went ahead and purchased them both,” Formosa said.
“A friend of mine, Fiona Nunn, owns half of Repellent with me.”
The pair are sons of Bernardo and Aston Daiquiri and arrived with strong credentials. Repellent had been prepared by Brooke Ennis, while Retaliation was trained by Jason Thompson.
“I knew they were both quick dogs and they were young enough to have plenty of scope.”
Formosa originally targeted the Pink Diamond series, where Retaliation announced himself by defeating talented youngster Hurricane in his Ballarat qualifier before finishing runner-up in the Group Listed Pink Diamond Rookie Sprinter Final at Bendigo.
Repellent was unable to qualify for the final after finishing sixth behind Distinction in the Geelong heats.
However, it was their trip to Sydney that truly put the littermates on the map.
Both qualified for Saturday night’s Group 1 Peter Mosman Classic (520m) at Wentworth Park, with Retaliation producing the standout performance of the heats, stopping the clock in a slick 29.29 seconds to qualify fastest.
