THE FIRE IS BACK

In possibly the greatest comeback of any greyhound in living memory, Ice On Fire returned to racing with a stunning victory in his first race in 15 months on Wednesday night at Newcastle writes Floyd Amphett.

While six month lay-offs from broken hocks to major race success are rightly celebrated, Ice On Fire’s return from arguably a more severe injury, was largely overshadowed pre-race, in a debate over seeding and a withdrawal. Such an injustice! Whatever happens going forward – and the world of racing will surely be watching with all fingers crossed – trainer Jimmy Fenwick and owner Dave Spraggon have already been fully vindicated in giving the racing public the opportunity to see the 2019 Greyhound of the Year back on the track.

Circumstances dictated that the 37 kilo black was made to re-enter the racing pool in the deep end of a Category One competition, the Arena Racing Northern Flat, and King Bruno would prove a worthy opponent in what developed into an exciting buckle (see video below). Ice On Fire eventually prevailed by a neck to extend his winning sequence to 12 – a run of races that began in August 2019.

Trainer Jimmy Fenwick said: “I think it was an exceptional performance from a true champion. You reported recently that the dog had suffered a minor tear in the gracilis. (A statement based on the original diagnosis). It was actually much more serious than that. He lost almost a third of the gracilis with further damage to a supporting muscle. It has been a long hard road to get him back.

“It wasn’t ideal to bring him back in a competition like this. He isn’t fully race fit and was competing against race hardened dogs. But if he is to run in the Derby, which we really hope he will, he needs the runs of a competition to get him back to that level of fitness.

“As far as the race is concerned, he still showed that sparkle to the bend. I didn’t think he ran the second bend quite as well as in his trial, and the third bend can be quite tricky if there is a dog on your inside. King Bruno is a very fast dog in his own right and made it difficult for Ice On Fire who was squeezed for room. But what really pleased me was that he showed the determination of a champion to get up on the line.

“You have to remember that most things he has achieved have been done from the front. He hasn’t had to show that determination and desire to win in the same way before.

“We look forward to the semi finals which will be another tough test though I am happy with the draw. I have checked him over this morning and he seems fine but Tom Peppercorn will examine him at the weekend, as he has done throughout.

“We will keep up his regime of stretching, which is something we were advised to do by Declan Merriman at the very beginning. But the dog is jumping six feet in the air this morning and dragging us to the paddock, so he seems full of himself.”