He might have lived in the shadow of his littermates for the last 18 months but Vodka And Ice had a coming out party at The Gardens on Saturday night.
The son of Fernando Bale x Zipping Kelly producing a career best performance to not only win the Ladbrokes Newcastle Cup but obliterate a crack field by 9.25 lengths.
Trainer Caroline Hughes delighted to claim the Group 3 feature.
“I’m just so proud of this boy. I’ve just been waiting for him to nab something like this because I know he’s such a good dog,” Hughes said.
“He’s come a long way in the last four months to be honest, he’s a shy sort of a dog but we’re just so proud of him.
“When he was in Box 1, I thought he could jump, get to the lead and maintain it…all the quick beginners were sort of drawn out a little bit wider tonight so I didn’t think any of them were going to bother him and it sort of panned out that way.”
The masterful 41.52 effort setting a marker for his opponents less than a week out from the heats of the Ladbrokes 715 – the world’s richest staying race.
“I’m bringing the three of them up, him and his two brothers [Late Night News and West Rock Casey] and I’m just going to be beside myself, honestly,” Hughes laughed.
“The key is an inside draw for Vodka And Ice…I don’t know whether I can be lucky twice in a row now [to get another inside draw]. But we’ll keep our fingers crossed, I’ll be crossing everything.”
Vodka And Ice’s breakthrough feature race win taking his record to 51 starts for 13 wins and 19 minors with earnings of just over $117,000.
Ladbrokes Newcastle Cup winner Vodka And Ice (centre) is flanked by placegetters Soiree (left) and Ayden's Warrior (right)
Another feature in the cap for a litter that’s won a combined 93 starts and also includes Group 1 Gold Cup champion, Fade To Black.
“The litter has been fantastic. Zipping Kelly, the dam, just hasn’t got the recognition she probably should have got,” Hughes added.
“Even the previous litter, Nad Al Sheba…[Peter] Lagoogiane had him. Blue Goose Boy [a 20-time winner], she’s been a great producer.
“And just in this litter alone, to throw pups amassing nearly one million dollars in prizemoney and they’re not done yet. They only turned three in January.”
Late Night News ran second in the Ladbrokes 715 final in 2025 behind Autumn Storm
The Tom Tzouvelis-trained Soiree ran home into second spot, while Ayden’s Warrior [Jodie Lord] finished third.
All three greyhounds will now head to the heats of the $250,000-to-the-winner Ladbrokes 715 at The Gardens on Friday, May 24.
