High Five! Transponder Wins Adelaide Cup Thriller

“WE'RE all happy” was how Vince Tullio described Friday night's Group 1 Adelaide Cup victory with Transponder after a plan hatched with trainer Jason Thompson five weeks ago came to fruition.

Vince's wife Amanda owns the Deliver-Unquestionably dog which speared to the front and then held off a late charge from Big Energy to win the Cup narrowly with Mepunga Smokey in third.

It was the Thompson family's fifth win in the Cup, but for Vince and his wife Amanda the victory was a special moment.

Transponder took his record to 37 starts for 20 wins and 12 placings for $276,000 in stakes.

Vince took Transponder to Angle Park while Jason and son Luke were in Germany on a golfing trip.

“Jason and I set this plan in motion five weeks ago to take Transponder to Angle Park rather than the Million Dollar Chase,” said Vince.

An absolute thriller in the TAB Adelaide Cup with Transponder JUST doing enough! ???? @TheDogsSA pic.twitter.com/6nForn65NH

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 6, 2023

“We reasoned that Angle Park would suit him perfectly with the boxes a bit off the track unlike Sandown and The Meadows where he tends to want to shift wide.

“We like him best from a wide draw at those tracks in Melbourne, but at Angle Park the red was fine for him.”

Transponder flew the lids and set up a commanding lead early and just held on to beat Big Energy.

The dog is by Vince and Amanda's former group 1 star Deliver, winner of the Vic Peters and Rookie Rebel and third in the Australian Cup when trained by Thompson.

Transponder is one of only a couple of litters sired by Deliver.

“When the breeder approached me about using Deliver I said I would buy a dog and a bitch and this is the dog,” said Vince.

“I'm not like other breeders who only breed to sell. I like to breed to win races and this is why I bought those couple of pups.”

Vince educated Transponder early for Thompson.

“He broke in quick and has always been special,” he said. “I did a bit of work with him before he went to Jason who loves to make sure they are the right quality he wants.”

Vince admits the Adelaide Cup victory is “a real good thrill”.

Immediate plans are to head towards the Topgun. The Cup winner generally is an automatic invite to that glamour race.

“We'd then probably head to the Melbourne Cup and hopefully The Phoenix,” said Vince who has been in greyhound racing for 12 years.

“The Phoenix is particularly attractive to us, especially when you are able to pick your own box. For us, it will be five, six, seven or eight, probably the seven best.

“Who else will want to pick any of those wide draws?”

Of Deliver, Vince says he has just mated a bitch of his own to the former G1 star.

“He deserves it,” said Vince.