Pillow Torque’s all good for Iwanyk

By Michael Floyd
BRILLIANT greyhound Pillow Torque, who won her first Group race when scoring in the $36,000 Group 2 Henry Harrison Memorial at Sandown Park last Thursday, is eyeing bigger prizes – and proved a west to east move across Australia by trainer Troy Iwanyk late last year was worth it.
Jumping from the inside box, Pillow Torque began well – and in a thrilling run to the line, Pillow Torque showed her class, racing to a 1.75 length win over Slick Lee and Bobby Boucheau in a smart 42.05 seconds.
The win was Pillow Torque’s first in six attempts at Group level and improved her record to 14 wins from 37 starts, taking her prizemoney beyond $91,000.
The Sandown Park track record holder now has three wins from four starts at the track and seems a certain starter in the 2011 Sandown Cup, worth $143,000, the richest races for stayers.
The first heats are tomorrow week, with the final on 26 May.
“She’s a really nice greyhound,” Iwanyk, who shifted from Perth to Devon Meadows last year, said.
“She really needed the hit out last week (following a short lay off to have her tonsils removed), so I was pretty confident.”
Pillow Torque, along with kennel and littermates Bramley and Kalden Athena, has helped Iwanyk make an immediate impact on the highly competitive Victorian training scene.
“It has been a big move, but I really appreciate all the help I’ve had.”