3 minute read

Superstar sprinter Explicit has enshrined himself in greyhound racing folklore with a stunning victory in the Group 1 The Phoenix (525m) at The Meadows on Saturday night.

In his swansong to racing, Explicit went out with the loudest of bangs, delivering a complete all round performance to land the $1 million-to-the-winner showpiece in comprehensive fashion for trainer Jason Thompson.

The triumph sees Explicit, winner at 27 of his 37 starts and $1.9m in stakes, enter the stud ranks as a three-time Group 1 winner with his victory in The Phoenix following his Melbourne Cup heroics a fortnight ago and his Temlee success earlier in the year.

And it also capped off a remarkable 2024 for premier trainer Jason Thompson who has annexed 12 Group events including the grand slam of the Victorian sprint races, the Australian Cup (Tim Zoo), Topgun (Excavation) and Melbourne Cup-The Phoenix double with sprint king Explicit.

The Phoenix triumph also saw Thompson scale to $4.4m in prize money earnings in 2024 which sets a new Australasian record.

Explicit (8) wins the 2024 Phoenix in a time of 29. 72 seconds. 

Directly following Explicit's devastating The Phoenix success, an emotional Seona Thompson was full of praise for their gun sprinter who races into retirement in the most memorable of ways.

"He's a special, special dog," Seona Thompson beamed on Racing.com about the son of Bernardo.

"When he won the Melbourne Cup it really took some pressure off and what ever happened tonight was really a bonus.

"I haven't said this before but Awesome Assassin was always Jason's favourite dog, we've had a lot of good dogs in between, but this dog (Explicit) he just adores so much.

"To be able to share this with the Tullio family is special as well. It is amazing."

Following the race, Thompson also heaped praise on children Luke and Holly who in recent years have become an even more integral part of the family's ongoing success.

"Those two kids are just amazing," Seona beamed.

"Jason and I are just so proud of them. We wouldn't be doing this now without Luke and Holly.

"And as for my husband (Jason) I might be biased but he's next level, I don't think there's been another one like him."

Using box eight to perfection, Explicit scored by 2 ¼ lengths on the line from Smooth Plane in 29.72.

Finishing third was rank outsider Daysea's Rory which ran the race of his brief career representing the Racing Queensland slot.

The performance evoked memories of the inaugural The Phoenix where Spotted Elk represented Queensland and finished a gallant second at bolters odds behind Wow She's Fast.

While The Phoenix was the highlight at The Meadows on Saturday night it was the Match Race Sprint that got the blood pumping with Tim Zoo outlasting kennelmate Field Day in a thrilling 525 metre slugfest.

Tim Zoo posted 29.62 to score by half-a-length to launch a memorable night for the Thompson family.

Tim Zoo (1) defeated kennel mate Field Day (3) in a match race for the ages on Phoenix night in a time of 29.62 seconds.