Pictured: Abdulla Zulu, following his Launching Pad heat win. Photo credit: Jason Mckeown.
The Launching Pad series got underway last Thursday night at Sandown Park, with the top three placegetters in each heat, along with the fastest fourth placegetter, progressing forward to this week’s semi-finals.
Blue Storm set the time standard, clocking 29.09 in his heat for Brooke Ennis, while the remaining four heats were taken out by Highly Potent (James Presutto), Zambora Bliss (Jane Garland), Black Star Riot (Anthony Azzopardi) and Abdulla Zulu (Victoria Koutsourakis).
Prior to his 29.28 heat victory, Abdulla Zulu hadn’t raced for over three months – although his recent trial performances had been seriously impressive.
“We’re very, very pleased with the way he went, and with the way the dog conducted himself with his box and field manners. He’s definitely matured up, and has worked out how to be a racedog,” said Nick Koutsourakis.
“Hopefully he can do it again this week. He’s a very exciting greyhound – he’s been running scintillating times everywhere I’ve been trialling him, and he broke 29 seconds at Sandown the week before the race.
“He’s a very progressive dog with a huge future and a huge motor. I expect him to be a new force in the industry, and one day end up as a stud dog.”
Abdulla Zulu is a son of Aston Rupee and Cyclone Jebel, making him a half-brother to Group race performers Flying Zulu and Alpha Zulu.
“We’ve got the Mum, and he (Abdulla Zulu) was whelped here at home. He was reared at Tony and Jane Apap’s, and he was broken in by Kevin McNamara.
“From the day he broke in, he showed exceptional ability. Kevin said very early on, ‘this is a serious racedog.’
Koutsourakis says the exciting chaser is very attached to himself and Victoria.
“He’s very bonded to us – probably too bonded,” he laughed. “He’s all over me, and it’s hard to go anywhere without him!”
The $150,000-to-the-winner Launching Pad final will take place on Thursday 2 April, when Sandown Park will also play host to a $5,000 Hole-In-One competition hosted by Mark Allen in the middle of the racetrack.