Fortified Rush is now standing with John Carruthers at stud alongside Brett Lee and Bond at Journey Park in Sydney, Australia. Highly respected US Greyhound Review journalist Stan Pawloski rates Fortified Rush as one of the all-time greats at Wheeling Downs. "I had the pleasure of watching Fortified Rush break in at Wheeling Downs and climb the ladder to Grade AA. In short, he was one of the best I've ever seen at Wheeling and I've seen many. A quick look at his career numbers leaves no doubt to his greatness. Rush was a rail runner, probably ran the rail like few others here at Wheeling. He also had an aggressive side to him, he knew where he wanted to go and he was going to get there. Just a very, very fast dog ... if his pups are half as good, you will have some good ones".
Wheeling is regarded as the toughest track in the USA where the best greyhounds compete week-in, week-out for the highest prizemoney of any US track. From 94 starts there Rush won 58 races, the first 50 of which were from only 71 starts. No other Wheeling great matches his 62% win or 92% "on the paysheet" strike rates. Rush won Wheeling's major annual stakes series, the Spring Classic Championship. Rush made it to grade AA after only 7 race starts and was never out of AA grade in his remaining 87 starts there. After winning 19 of his first 24 starts Rush was invited into the 2000 US Invitational Race of Champions held at Wichita d?r=18797 Rush was a very good beginner with an excellent rush to the first turn. His ability to hold the rail around the first and home bends was unrivalled during his career at Wheeling. In his 94 starts there no other dog won in faster time than Rush. Rush's dam Grey's Arizona has also thrown Wheeling AA winners to Oswald Cobblepot(Grey's Sneakers) and Fortress(Grey's Aristocrat). His litter sisters have also been quality producers in the US.
Fortified Rush carries a unique blend of the very best US, Irish and classic Australian bloodlines. His sireline descends directly from Supreme Fun via Waverly Supreme's brother Laurdella Fun. His grandsire Fortress d?i=81833 was the most successful import sire into the US in recent decades and is the damsire of latest Aussie sensation Slater d?i=1255999 . His sire Fortified Speed was imported to Australia after siring only the one US litter(from Grey's Arizona). In Australia he sired Australian Cup winner Isa Brown d?i=274660 and is the damsire of dual 2006 Group 1 winner Miss Spicy d?i=1100108 . Fortified Speed's litter brother Fortified Power d?i=81812 finished 9th on the 2006 US sirelist. Rush's dam Grey's Arizona d?i=270827 hails from the USA's #1 breeding farm...... Greymeadows in Abilene, Kansas which is run by the Butler family and established around their incredible foundation dam Representation d?i=192713 . Representation was inducted into the US Hall of Fame in 2004, and is only the 4th broodbitch to achieve such an honour http://www.networksplus.net/nga/HALLFAME/Representation.htm . Grey's Arizona is a daughter of outstanding stakes racer/sire Greys Statesman(Representation's best son). Her 2nd damsire is Downing, regarded as a US racing immortal http://www.networksplus.net/nga/hallfame/downing.htm Her 3rd damsire is Supreme Fun(sire of Waverly Supreme). Her bottom line descends directly from the iconic Irish broodbitch Quare Fire d?i=185623 . Quare Fire is from the same family as the famous Irish brood Tapestry d?i=229699 who is the foundation bitch behind many famous Australian damlines including that of Black Shiraz, Tangairn, Tangaloa and Black Diro. Grey's Arizona also carries in her pedigree Share Profit d?i=207836 the outstanding son of Ballybeg Pride(referred to by US breeding expert Gary Guccione as the greatest producing female never to set foot in America). Litter sister Ballybeg Lass is the dam of Newdown Lady d?i=163167 who when imported to Australia was mated to Dusty Rapid. Progeny from this union are found in the damlines of top Australian greyhounds like Head Honcho d?i=97974 , Frightful Flash d?i=83500 , Modern Assassin d?i=261853 , Honcho Classic d?i=102179 , Bombastic Shiraz d?i=513180 , Black Enforcer d?i=1080756 , Malfoy d?i=943679 , and Superman d?i=1139408
The most intriguing component of Rush's damline is the cocktail of rare Australian blood it contains. Dutch Debit d?i=67115 carries Rocker Mac(the most successful US sire ever with 7 straight sire premierships), Elsie Moss(Australia's greatest brood) via her US son Thunderbolt Moss, and Sky Jet(brother of Magic Babe, Tell You Why, Gay Glint and Gemdelina). Kitty Hoss d?i=124938 is a daughter of Metal Jet(another brother of Sky Jet).
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