FORTIFIED RUSH (Imp) (US)
Red Brindle Dog - August 1998

Race record of 97 starts for 58 wins, 9 seconds and 12 thirds representing a career winning strike rate of 60%. He won almost US$150,000 ( equivalent to Au$250,000 at the time ) in prizemoney.

Career Highlights

In 2000 he contested the US$100,000 Invitational Race of Champions after winning 19 of his first 24 starts by huge margins. He started equal 2nd favorite and finished 6th after striking early trouble from box 5. Race was won by SHATA VALLIE (two time All-American) from BEASTWITHTOBACKS, BD's PHILLIP, B MAC'S PIKE, JB JUNIOR B, FORTIFIED RUSH, HAPPY VOYAGE and KIOWA SHAWNEE SO.

In 2001 he won the US$35,000 Spring Classic Sprint Championship series beating the likes of LUCKYDEALS HONOR, IRUSKA ALLSTAR, CHEEK TO CHEEK and SOUL CIPHER.

"Perhaps the best field of sprinters ever to go to the post in the final of a Spring Classic Championship at Wheeling Downs" .........(Stan Pawloski, US Greyhound Review July 2001)

FORTIFIED RUSH did virtually all his racing at Wheeling Downs, generally regarded as USA's toughest speed track. He had 94 overall starts there for 58 wins, 9 seconds and 12 thirds. He reached top grade(AA) after only 7 starts and remained there throughout his entire career. His first 50 Wheeling wins took just 71 starts....equivalent to a 70% strike rate. He had consecutive winning streaks of 12 and 11 races at Wheeling Downs. His best time at Wheeling(30.02) was the fastest winning time recorded in the 94 races he contested there.

Outstanding Pedigree Aspects

FORTIFIED RUSH's sire, FORTIFIED SPEED is a son of FORTRESS (most successful recent Irish sire import into USA) and brother of USA stud FORTIFIED POWER who finished number 8 on the 2003 US sire list. FORTIFIED SPEED's first and only USA litter prior to purchase by Australian interests produced FORTIFIED RUSH's. FORTIFIED SPEED's daughter ISA BROWN won the 2002 Australian Cup (Group 1) and 2002 Cranbourne Cup(Group 3).

FORTIFIED RUSH's dam, GREY'S ARIZONA is a daughter of GREY'S STATESMAN, renowned sire whose progeny include TALENTEDMRRIPLEY (2001 USA sprinter-of-the-year and All-American team captain 2001, 2002), ONECO NURNTOAST, SEEGOLD EXCELL and SEEGOLD BIG RED. GREY'S STATESMAN (whelped April 1990, passed away January 2003) has been a leading USA sire for several seasons. In 2002 he was 3rd ranked sire for top grade wins on the top 5 USA tracks(and also finished 5th in 2003).Both his sire and dam descend from the famous TELL YOU WHY sireline.

GREY'S ARIZONA's first 3 generations contain 4 USA Hall-of-Fame sires - namely K's FLAK, ONIE JONES, DUTCH BAHAMA and DOWNING each descendants of at least four of the six Aussie sires who also made the USA Hall-of-Fame ;

TELL YOU WHY - whelped 1957
ROCKER MAC - whelped 1951
TUMBLE BUG - whelped 1945
CHIEF HAVOC - whelped 1944
GANGSTER - whelped 1930 and
JUST ANDREW - whelped 1926

GREY'S ARIZONA's carries USA daughters of Australian sires MAX MOSS, ROCKER MAC and TELL YOU WHY's brothers SKY JET and METAL JET as well as USA sone of ELSIE MOSS( THUNDERBOLT MOSS ).

In GREY'S ARIZONA's 4th generation all 3 x-positioned sires ( SHARE PROFIT, VENERATED and SUPREME FUN ) carry prolific Irish lines. SUPREME FUNE the sire of legendary brothers WAVERLEY SUPREME and LAURDELLA FUN.

GREY'S ARIZONA's 4th dam HANDSOME GIRL carries the classic Irish damlines of PRAIRIE PEG and MILLIES MAY, and is a direct descendant of the legendary QUARE FIRE ( QUARE TIMES x NEGRO'S FIRE ). Australian breeders should note QUEEN OF SONG ( the paternal grand dam of famous Irish import TAPESTRY ) is a sister of QUARE'S FIRE. TAPESTRY is the taproot dam of several brilliant Australian greyhounds including sires BLACK SHIRAZ, BIG GINGER BOY, BLACK DIRO (hence present in progeny of SHINING CHARIOT, MALAWI'S PRINCE, LIGHT OF FIRE, BRETT LEE ) TANGAIRN ( hence present in JUST THE BEST, WARRENS FLYER, PROPER TEARS, MODERN ASSASSIN, GO WILD TEDDY ), TANGALOA, KAREEM, GOLD GROTTO ( hence in BENJASON, HEADING WEST, ELLE'S COMMANDO ) and many other champion male and female producers.