Saturday August 2nd 2025
Having enjoyed a stunning rise through the graded ranks at Monmore, Patoka is now preparing to take on the best greyhound racing has to offer.
Two-year-old Patoka, trained by Brian Thompson and owned by Matt Booth, started his racing career in April running at A8.
Fast forward a mere few months later, tonight he competes in a top-class Open race with an eye on making it into the category one Ladbrokes Gold Cup which begins at the long-standing Wolverhampton circuit next weekend.
A glittering record of six victories and three second place finishes from 13 runs has put Patoka in the conversation, and a good outing this evening will have him right in contention for the 36-strong Gold Cup.
The Patrick Janssens-trained Droopys Trade and Richard Rees’ Avarua Zlatan are among those standing in his way, with owner Booth interested to see how he gets on in top company.
“He’s improved so much. He started in A8 and has improved massively in a short space of time,” said Booth.
“He won that A8 and an A7 after that, and then he’s also won at A4, A3 and A2 in recent weeks, so we’ve got the Gold Cup in mind and, fingers crossed, he can do well in this race.
“It’s a hard race with some quality greyhounds, but he’s come on so well and if you want to be a part of these big competitions, you’ve got to face top dogs.
“Hopefully, he goes well and can make it into the Gold Cup.
“Me and Vince Owen, who also has an interest in Patoka, have been delighted with how he’s done so far.
“We think he’s good enough to be involved in these big Opens. His splits have been very quick, so if he can trap well again tonight, you never know. We’re really excited to see how he goes.”
Tonight’s card at Monmore sees nine Open races take place – the majority acting as trial stakes for the 480m Gold Cup and 630m Summer Stayers Classic which also begins next weekend and culminates on August 23rd.
The first 480m affair at 6.48pm includes the Michael Burton-trained Droopys Aladdin who has shown frightening early pace at Monmore previously. New Pat Doocey recruit King Jackson and Richie Taberner’s consistent performer Aero Pattika are also involved.
Droopys Suprstar, also of Burton and impressive at Monmore before, runs from trap four in the 630m race at 7.22pm. Zebedee Cluasa looks to make it back-to-back triumphs for Nathan Hunt in race seven (8.13pm), just before Patoka’s test.
Craig Marston’s Dubai Kid and the in-form Thor Odinson, trained by Chris Fereday, are among those vying for Summer Stayers inclusion in race nine. Kim Billingham-Hine duo Beatties Razl and Sugar Candice line up in race 10 and 11 respectively.
The nightcap sees Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby champion Headford Dane (Maxine Locke) race for the first time since winning the £20,000 event at Monmore in March.
A Category Three sprint final, the Ladbrokes.com 264 should also make for intriguing viewing, with Patricia Cowdrill’s wide-runner Elderberry Fire the experienced campaigner in the race.
Saturday 26th July 2025
One of the 2024 Ladbrokes Gold Cup finalists is aiming to keep up the momentum heading into this year’s prestigious event at Monmore.
Cunnigar Yousir, trained by Monmore’s Nathan Hunt and owned by Mr P.H Huckle and Mr R Russell, came fourth in the £10,000 Category One final last August and with the competition getting started again in just a fortnight, the three-year-old flyer looks for a strong showing tonight.
A repeat of last week’s outing – which saw Cunnigar Yousir prevail in 28.48secs having smashed out of the boxes and led all the way – would certainly go down a treat.
Victory, however, will be more difficult to achieve this time around with Romeo Steel (Patrick Janssens, Towcester) lining up in trap two. He was victorious in the Category Two BGBF British Bred Champion Stakes at Towcester in June and has also won his last three outings as the Northamptonshire circuit.
Cunnigar Yousir, in trap one, is the sole ‘home’ greyhound in the 8.31pm race with Ballymac Blanco (Maxine Locke, Romford), Arthur Cornflake (Patrick Godfrey, Swindon), Baggies Coyote (Frank Bryce, Swindon) and Grovenor Anna (Beverley Heaton, Kinsley) making up the rest of what looks set to be a very competitive affair.
This evening acts as something of a preview of the 480m Gold Cup and 630m Summer Stayers Classic competitions, which both begin on August 9th and culminate on August 23rd, with three four-bend Open races and two over the extended trip.
Hunt has representatives in the other two 480m races, with Bang On Edith and Zebedee Cluasa in the 8.47pm and 9.23pm respectively. Among the high-quality dogs competing in the latter, too, is Arthur Job who made the Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby final at Monmore back in March.
Thor Odinson (Chris Fereday) is one to watch in the night’s final race having won a Category Three 630 Maiden competition last week.
Also taking place on tonight’s card is a £1,000 Category Three 480 Maiden final which sees Patricia Cowdrill pair Cashen Pogacha and Dhustone Carmel go for glory.
There are three heats in the Ladbrokes.com 264 with consistent Monmore sprinters Elderberry Fire (Cowdrill), Makeadifference (Fereday) and Alien Bolt (Richie Taberner) among those involved, with two greyhounds advancing from each heat into next week’s final.
Meanwhile, a Monmore greyhound looks to win the Category One Oxford Pall Mall for the second year running.
Taberner's Aero Sacundai was the 2024 champion and tonight sees Paradise Sky look to clinch the £10,000 prize for Brian Thompson.
Saturday 28th June 2025
Monmore trainer Chris Fereday is excited for what is to come as Makeadifference looks to continue living up to his name over the sprint trip.
Makeadifference is in action this evening having become one of the most consistent performers over two bends at the Wolverhampton track in recent months.
Part-owned by Fereday – based in Walsall – along with Mr G Duncan and Mr S Gray, the August 2022 dog was purchased from last year’s Monmore auction and has won seven of his last 12 appearances across both graded and open races.
Success tonight would also make it four successive graded victories on the spin.
“He’s really come into form and been fantastic for us as of late,” said Fereday.
“We bought him in the sales last year for a modest price and originally looked for him to go over the 480m distance, but he didn’t quite stay, so we took him down to the two bends instead and he’s never looked back.
“We took him to Swindon recently and he won an Open race there which was great, and we’re also thinking of taking him on the road for Opens at both Nottingham and Sheffield as he should be able to run those tracks well.
“There’s due to be a Category Three sprint competition starting at Monmore next week, so the plan is to for that and see how he goes.
“Hopefully, he runs well tonight and carries on his form going into next weekend. He’s a real pleasure to train.”
Tonight’s test for Makeadifference sees him go out in race 11 at 9.23pm against kennelmate Bandanna Bono, who has looked sharp over four bends but steps down in trip for this one.
Richie Taberner has Alien Bolt and Aero Rolex going for glory in the D1 while Patricia Cowdrill – who has been enjoying a nice number of graded winners – boasts Dhustone Carmel and Specific Role.
Makeadifference, meanwhile, is among the 50 greyhounds Monmore have featured in their upcoming ‘Monmore Superstars’ trading cards set.
Packs of five cards will soon be available to purchase from the stadium with all profits from the venture going to Monmore’s partner charity, Greyhound Trust Wolverhampton to support their brilliant work looking after retired greyhounds before they find their forever homes.
Saturday 21st June 2025
Long-serving Monmore trainer Patricia Cowdrill has spoken of the ‘lovely surprise’ at seeing Elderberry Fire enjoy a fantastic five victories on the spin.
The rarely-achieved feat was achieved by the sprinting sensation at the Wolverhampton track last weekend – in Open class nonetheless – as the September 2022 bitch dashed home in a career-best 15.29secs.
Fire’s achievement is even more remarkable when you consider she was running in D3 class just a month ago, with a win at that level followed by two at D2 and another at D1 before the Open class triumph.
Cowdrill, based in Shifnal, has had some superstar greyhounds including 2004 Ladbrokes Gold Cup winner Elderberry Veron – as well as lots of home-bred successes with the help of Monmore hall of famer Pete Richards – and is delighted to have seen Fire hit her stride in such style.
“Simon Trubshaw bred the litter, and they came to us at 15 weeks to be reared,” said Cowdrill.
“A couple of the litter went to (fellow Monmore trainer) Chris Jones and we had a few, and they’ve been a nice litter so we thought Fire might come good at some point.
“She’s just come into a bit of form and to do a five-timer is incredible. The time she did last weekend was amazing as well - she ran her socks off.
“Pete walked her to the boxes as she can be a little bit too excited for me before a race, so I watched the race from the last bend and thought to myself ‘Trap Five is running well’.
“It only then dawned on me it was our Fire. I couldn’t believe it. She’s never trapped like that before and as I’ve said, to do that time was excellent.
“I think she’s turned out to be the best of the litter. We’ve not had many greyhounds win five on the bounce - we had Butts Mott do 10 in a row around a decade ago, he was a very special dog.
“Fire will probably go for another top-grade sprint next and, you never know, maybe she’ll make it six in a row.”
Fire is not in action as Monmore hosts a full graded card tonight but will likely be running again next week.
Cowdrill added: “She’s excelled herself. Me and Pete are delighted as she’s such a lovely bitch, she has a great temperament and we’re happy for Simon the breeder as well. We’re chuffed. It’s been a lovely surprise.”
Saturday 7th June 2025
Trainer Richie Taberner has hailed Monmore superstar Hawk as a ‘pleasure to train’ as she returns to Open action this evening.
Hawk, owned by Fantastic Foxes, was voted Bitch of the Year by the Monmore Owners’ Association for 2024 having won 14 races throughout the year.
Most of those were in graded action but the March 2021 stayer has also excelled in the Open scene – winning a Category Three 630m competition at Monmore in November – and tonight presents an opportunity to impress again.
She steps back up in class after an impressive May which saw her win three of four graded outings, claiming victories over both four and six bends.
Taberner is excited to see how she gets on in the Ladbrokes.com 630 at 7.39pm.
“She’s an absolute pleasure to train. She doesn’t tend to be the quickest out of the traps, but once she gets going on that back straight, she takes some stopping,” said Taberner.
“She had a brilliant year in 2024, we couldn’t have asked for more from her, and we gave her a little winter break to get her ready to go again this year.
“She’s won four times since coming back and we’re looking forward to seeing how she does back in Open class, over her favourite trip.
“The owner, Max Moore is very supportive and always here to cheer her on from the terraces, so hopefully he has something to smile about again. She’ll certainly give it her all.”
Standing in Hawk’s way of victory are kennelmates Camp Parachute and Droopys Maximus while visiting trainers Rose Draper (Sheffield), Ted Soppitt (Newcastle) and Dougie Butler (Perry Barr) boast Distant Flow, Sunnyside Broxi and Inspector respectively.
Also on tonight’s card are two four-bend Open races, with Kim Billingham-Hine’s consistent performer Away Jazz involved in race four at 7.22pm.
Pat Doocey’s Hilton Wolf looks to follow up some stellar recent graded performances in race two at 6.48pm.
Saturday 31st May 2025
Trainer Craig Marston is full of pride after his kennel stars scooped back-to-back Monmore Green dog of the month awards.
It has been a successful period for Sedgley-based handler Marston, with Whisky Ernest recognised by the Monmore owners’ association as the top dog for March.
Whisky Copper then got the gong for April after both greyhounds enjoyed a spell of three successive victories at the Wolverhampton track.
“They’ve both done brilliantly for us. It’s nice to have the recognition for their performances and for the owner of both dogs, Ben Owen as he’s a big supporter of the kennel,” said Marston.
“Whisky Ernest won all three of his races in March, while Whisky Copper got three in a row during April over two bends. We’re very proud of them both.
“Whisky Copper won at 20/1 in the last of his three wins in a row, too, so that was fantastic.
“He’s won Opens at both The Valley and Crayford and been enjoying the sprint trip here at Monmore recently. He’s off for a few weeks now with a sprained wrist, but we’ll be doing laser treatment to strengthen the area up and we look forward to him being back on the track.
“Whisky Trader is another who has been going up the grades, rising from A6 to A2, and finished third in the last race on Thursday night.
“Our greyhounds have been running well overall, and we’re pleased with how things have been going.”
At Monmore tonight, Marston has both Whisky Glasses and Droopys Moose aiming to clinch back-to-back victories.
The penultimate race this evening is a strong six-bend affair and sees Jonis Taxi looks to complete a hat-trick for trainer Gary Griffiths.
Longacres Porto (Pat Doocey) has finished second to Jonis Taxi twice in recent weeks and will hope third time is the charm.
Saturday 24th May 2025
Assistant trainer Jo Slater is excited to see what Wilma Rudolph can achieve after a brilliant start to life at Monmore Green.
With the Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket now in the books after a record-breaking triumph from Mongys Wild, focus is firmly on the graded action and Wilma Rudolph has been in fine fettle as of late for the Brian Thompson kennel.
A remarkable run of four wins on the bounce - the last of those coming on Jacket final night last weekend - has seen her rise from A7 to A3 this month and the plan now is to step the April 2023 bitch up to the six-bend trip.
“We’ve been very pleased with how she’s done for us; she’s really taken to Monmore in her short time here so far,” said Slater, whose sister Stacey owns the former Hove runner.
“She used to be at Hove, we bought her a couple of months ago, and she’s won four of her seven races here.
“She was in an A3 on Thursday night looking to make it five in a row and got crowded out a bit to finish last, but she still ran well and looks like she wants that bit further.
“We’re going to step up her up to six bends and see how she gets on. Looking at how she’s run so far, we think she’ll be suited to the trip and, fingers crossed, she can carry on her winning ways.
“She’s a lovely girl with a great temperament. We’re delighted with how she’s done so far and long may it continue.”
Thursday was a fine evening at Monmore for Craig Marston as the Sedgley-based trainer had three winners.
Kates Moonlight produced an all-the-way A5 victory before triumphs for Fast Donkey (D3) and Cazzers Ellie (A6).
Tonight sees Kim Billingham-Hine's Magical Luna return to graded action after doing brilliantly to eventually finish fifth in the Golden Jacket final last weekend.
She features in a strong S1 at 9.23pm over the shorter 630m distance (Golden Jacket having been held over 684m) against kennelmate Skylars Vision who made the Jacket semi-finals.
Monday 19th May 2025
The phenomenal Mongys Wild smashed the clock once again to win the £20,000 Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket final at Monmore Green.
Having broken the 684m track record – which had stood for 22 years – in the semi-finals with a time of 40.54secs, the Mark Wallis-trained superstar was even quicker this past Saturday night as he romped home in 40.42secs for a thoroughly deserved success.
Radical Scoby (Maxine Locke, Romford) started strongly in the final and led until the fifth bend, when Mongys Wild put on the afterburners on a fast track to win by almost seven lengths.
Wallis and the MWD Partnership – who also had Bombay Nutty finish well to take second place – have a ‘truly special’ greyhound in Mongys Wild according to Monmore racing manager Tony Williamson.
“Mongys Wild is a truly special dog and a big congratulations goes to Wallis and the team on what was another amazing performance in the final,” said Williamson.
“When you have witnessed so many races involving great greyhounds over the years, it can be hard to get excited at times, but wow!
“Mongys Wild is the best I’ve seen in a long while and a genuinely good thing for the sport.
“It’s been a pleasure to host the Golden Jacket, and we have an outstanding champion. Mongys Wild is a superstar.”
Wallis also claimed one of three £1,000 Category Three finals on the night as Ballinakill Liam took the spoils in the Ladbrokes.com 264 Final.
Nathan Hunt’s Newinn Oscar was victorious in the Ladbrokes.com 480 while Santas Amigo (David Mullins, Romford) impressed in the Ladbrokes.com 480 Puppy.
Saturday 17th May 2025
The magnificent Mongys Wild looks to follow up a record-breaking run at Monmore by winning the £20,000 Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket Final tonight.
Mongys Wild put in a breathtaking performance last weekend, winning his semi-final for Mark Wallis and the MWD Partnership by ten-and-a-half lengths in a time of 40.54secs.
That broke the previous 684m record of 40.60secs held by Centour Corker for 22 years and, unsurprisingly, he now heads into tonight’s big race as the red-hot favourite.
Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) champion trainer Wallis has dominated in recent weeks at Monmore and boasts three of the six greyhounds going for glory in the prestigious competition, which Monmore has taken on after the closure of former sister track Crayford.
Newinn Cloud and Bombay Nutty also represent Team Wallis this evening – those two victorious in the other semi-finals last week while Wallis also had New Destiny win in the first round a fortnight ago.
Home favourite Magical Luna (Kim Billingham-Hine), Haka Carlo (Simon Deakin, Perry Barr/Nottingham) and Radical Scoby (Maxine Locke, Romford) are those looking to upset the odds.
Monmore racing manager Tony Williamson has been proud to host the Golden Jacket again, with the Wolverhampton track having also been the venue for it back in 1986 when Glenowen Queen prevailed for Walthamstow trainer Dickie Hawkes.
"It's been a pleasure to host the Golden Jacket and welcome the very best stayers around here to Monmore,” said Williamson.
"We were delighted that it filled in terms of getting 36 entries for the 684m distance and the competition has brought about a truly exceptional greyhound in Mongys Wild.
"To break the track record that has stood for more than 20 years is an immense effort.
"He is one of the best greyhounds I've seen in a long time, and we must say well done again to Mark Wallis and the MWD Partnership.
"Wallis has been dominant in the competition, but each of the finalists are there on merit including Magical Luna who has done really well for Monmore trainer Kim Billingham-Hine and owners Race with KB Luna.
"We're excited to see how the final goes. The very best of luck to all involved."
It would be a third Golden Jacket success for Wallis having also had Hometown Honey (2014) and Patchys Kerry (2016) clinch the crown in its Crayford days.
Saturday 10th May 2025
Monmore trainer Kim Billingham-Hine is beaming with pride as both Magical Luna and Skylars Vision compete in tonight’s Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket semi-finals.
The £20,000 event – held over Monmore’s testing 684m trip and previously staged at former sister track Crayford – began last weekend, with Magical Luna and Skylars Vision among the 18 greyhounds to get through the first round.
The ladies both line-up in the same semi-final this evening and have perhaps landed the kindest of the three semis – Mark Wallis’ Newinn Cloud the only heat winner from last week involved.
Magical Luna has previously excelled over even greater distances, winning a 900m marathon at Monmore, while Skylars Vision enjoyed a phenomenal rise through the graded ranks before catching the eye in this Category One competition.
Billingham-Hine, whose kennels are in Swindon near Kingswinford, would love to make it to the final having often referred to Monmore as her second home.
“Magical Luna ran very well last Saturday to finish second in her heat,” said Billingham-Hine.
“As long as we don’t get too far detached from the leader, she’ll always have a great chance with her strong running style. Over 684m, she’s only just getting warmed up.
“I feel she may be starting to run into a bit of form as well, so fingers crossed.
“Skylars Vision is a very young bitch and just starting out over the distance but did herself proud last Saturday with a third-place finish.
“She looks to stay every yard and is probably stronger coming home than she is at the start.
“We’re all very excited to be in the semi-finals, especially on our home track, and we’d love to make it to the final. Come on girls.”
A repeat of last week for Magical Luna in the third semi-final tonight, finishing second to Newinn Cloud, would be enough to make next week’s showpiece. She runs from trap three while Skylars Vision is out in five.
The third ‘home’ greyhound still involved is Nathan Hunt’s Intriguing Iris who won in fine fashion last weekend and runs from trap five in semi-final two.
Two other heat winners are in the race, too, in the shape of Savanaregimental (Diane Henry, Towcester) and Mongys Wild (Wallis) – the latter arguably last weekend’s standout performer having gone through the gears late on to win by more than six lengths.
Mongys Wild is the second favourite in the outright betting behind kennelmate New Destiny, who was the quickest victor last weekend and goes from trap three in tonight’s first semi-final at 7.22pm.
Wallis, remarkably, had four of the six heat winners last weekend, and Bombay Nutty also looks to impress again for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) champion trainer.
Saturday 19th April 2025
Monmore Green is getting ready to host one of British greyhound racing’s most prestigious events in the form of the Golden Jacket.
Inaugurated in 1975 and now sponsored by Premier Greyhound Racing, the Golden Jacket has been staged annually at Crayford for most of its existence but comes to Monmore following the former’s closure at the beginning of this year.
It will be staged over the 684m trip – a stiff six-bend test – from May 3rd to May 17th and see £20,000 awarded to the winner, with one of this evening’s races set to act as a preview of what’s to come next month.
The Ladbrokes.com 684 race on tonight’s card (7.39pm) features the Mark Wallis-trained Mongys Wild who looks to impress ahead of the competition.
The October’ 22 dog is likely to be the bookmakers’ favourite for the Golden Jacket having won the TV Trophy in some style at Towcester last month, smashing the track’s 942m record in the process.
“The Golden Jacket brings the cream of staying talent from across the country, and we can’t wait to get the competition started,” said Monmore racing manager Tony Williamson.
“It’s an honour to be hosting the event for just the second time, having also had it here once in the late eighties before it moved to Crayford.
“One-and-a-half laps around our track is a proper test for these fantastic canine athletes. May the best greyhound win.”
Also taking place at Monmore this evening is a Category Three sprint final worth £1,000 to the victor.
Nathan Hunt’s Fire And Ice runs from trap two having stylishly won of last weekend’s two heats while the other heat winner, Richie Taberner’s Fine Thanks is out in trap six.
Meanwhile, two Monmore-based greyhounds are competing in Category One finals this weekend.
Millridge Tanic (trained by Chris Fereday and owned by Mr G.G Duncan) and Newinn Deputy (trained by Richie Taberner and owned by Mr P.J Carpenter, Mr S.J Forsdike, Mr J Gaskin and Mr R Taberner) go for glory in the Hunt Cup at Oxford and the Sheffield Gymcrack respectively.
Saturday 12th April 2025
Two proper speedsters who possess exceptional early pace should turn heads in open race action at Monmore Green tonight.
Aero Sacundai, trained by Richie Taberner, continues his comeback as he runs in heat one of the Ladbrokes.com 264 sprint competition.
In the second heat, meanwhile, is the Nathan Hunt-trained Fire And Ice who looks to add to a stellar career record up to yet as he makes his Monmore debut.
Both greyhounds won Category One events last year, with Aero Sacundai triumphing in the Oxford Pall Mall while also setting a 270m track record at Towcester.
He returned from a winter break with a blistering success over two bends a couple of weeks ago and has also put in some super-quick trial times.
Fire And Ice was victorious in the Romford Puppy Cup in 2024 while trained by Matt Dartnall and has impressed since switching to Hunt’s kennels, finishing second in the Golden Sprint at Romford and winning on Trainers’ Judgment Night at Perry Barr.
With three greyhounds advancing from each of tonight’s heats, it looks likely they will square off against each other in the £1,000 final next week.
Taberner’s eventual plan is to step Sacundai – owned by Taberner, Stuart Forsdike, Geoff Ansley and Mike Woolgar – back up to the four-bend trip and go for the prestigious Greyhound Derby at Towcester which begins next month.
“We decided to give Sacundai four months off over the winer and he looks fit and fresh,” said Taberner.
“We’re taking on this sprint competition and then the plan is to take him to Towcester for some sprint trials and, all being well, we’ll go for the Derby and then he’ll look to defend his Pall Mall crown.
“He’s been clocking some really fast trial times, he’s got fantastic early pace, and hopefully he can show keep showing that in the weeks and months to come for us.”
Hunt is excited to see what Fire And Ice can do this evening having been drawn in his ideal box, trap one.
It has been a great period for Hunt with the kennel enjoying a stunning six winners at Monmore last Saturday night.
He has three greyhounds competing in the £1,000 Ladbrokes.com 480 Final tonight as well in Davo You Go, Bang On Edith and Scooby The Boss.
“We planned to give Fire And Ice a break after Judgment Night but he’s been so well in himself and given the warm weather, we feel he’s a dog who loves these conditions, so these Monmore heats came at the perfect time,” said Hunt.
“He hasn’t been there before but has drawn trap one which he loves, so we’re hopeful he can qualify and has a chance in the £1,000 final which I’m sure will be a hot race given some of the entries.
“The kennel has been in great form as of late, so I’m keen to keep them running regularly while we’re in this purple patch.”
Saturday April 5th 2025
He had the most runs at Monmore last year, and now Aero Peart cannot stop winning for trainer Chris Fereday and owner Kiera Hampton.
Aero Peart’s record in 2024 was a strong one, winning 11 of 57 appearances, but the three-year-old has kicked things up a gear in recent weeks.
He led all the way and clocked a career-best time of 28.98secs to win Monmore’s first race on Thursday evening (A7), making it three successes on the spin.
Hampton, who works as a kennelhand for Walsall-based Fereday as well as owning Aero Peart, is full of pride and said: “He’s done amazingly.
“We’re just so proud of him, to make it a hat-trick and to do it in real style as well on Thursday was fantastic.
“He’s always been a keen runner and stayed in tip-top shape, but he’s really come into his own over the last month or so.
“He’ll be having his Most Runs for 2024 presentation next week which will be nice.
“He’s just such a lovely dog and, again, has made me and all the team at the kennels very proud.”
Aero Peart will likely make the jump up to the A6 grade for his next race having enjoyed back-to-back triumphs at A7 and won four of his last five outings.
Hampton added: “A big thank-you goes to Chris as he’s got Peart running well. Long may it continue.”
Tonight at Monmore sees several Open races take place including three heats in the Category Three Ladbrokes.com 480.
Nathan Hunt has several runners after doing Monmore proud in last weekend’s Judgement Night at Perry Barr, finishing second in the six-trainer field behind Mark Wallis.
Two of his Judgment Night team, Untold Paanga and Bang On Edith compete in separate heats, and the former joined is by Scooby The Boss who finished fifth in last week’s Kent Plate final at Central Park.
The second heat will also see the Gary Griffiths-trained Werners Me Name, who runs from trap six, presented with a special jacket afterwards having won Monmore’s Dog of the Month award for February.
Droopys Flotilla – an impressive winner for Hunt on Judgment Night – looks likely to keep up her hot streak in the nightcap, the Ladbrokes.com 630 Division One.
Saturday March 29th 2025
Nathan Hunt is ready to fly the flag for Monmore as he takes a super team of greyhounds to the prestigious Judgment Night this evening.
Judgment Night, historically known as the Trainers’ Championship, takes place down the road at Perry Barr tonight and sees six of Britain’s leading handlers go head-to-head.
Welshman Hunt, who has all his graded runners at Monmore, takes on Mark Wallis (Unattached), Maxine Locke (Romford), Tom Heilbron (Newcastle), Kevin Hutton (Oxford) and Patrick Janssens (Towcester) in the event – for the trainers who had the most Open race winners the previous year.
“Last year was the must successful we’ve had in terms of winners. I think we had 127 Open race winners, so that put us in a position to qualify,” said Hunt.
“We finished eighth in the trainers’ championship and two trainers (Elizabeth McNair and Ricky Holloway) have dropped out, so we’re pleased to get the invite.
“Some of the trainers in there, I’ve looked up to them since I came into the sport, so to be up against them in the trainers’ championship is a big privilege.
“We got the call a couple of weeks ago, so the dogs have managed to go round Perry Barr, and they’ve trialled well.
“We’re looking forward to it. We’re up against some very strong kennels, very good dogs, but we’re just going to enjoy the night.
“It’s recognition for everybody’s hard work last year and great for the owners. Hopefully they have a good evening as well.”
There will be six races tonight – two standard, bitches, puppy, sprint and stayers – and points will be handed out in each (10 for first, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, two for fifth and one for sixth).
The trainer with the most points at the end will be the winner while each trainer has a joker – one greyhound they have nominated to receive double points.
Hunt boasts Westside Butch (puppy), Untold Paanga (standard), Fire And Ice (sprint), Bang On Edith (bitches), Droopys Flotilla (stayers) and Clona Standard (standard) as he looks to turn heads.
“I’m happy with the six we’ve got. There’s a couple who did very well for us last year that unfortunately won’t be there as Icemans Girl is in season, but we’ve got Bang On Edith in the bitches instead,” said Hunt.
“She’s a really good bitch on her day, and she’s a home-bred bitch as well, so that makes it more special.
“Cooladerry Dust is another who did very well for us last year, but he’s just currently off lame so we have Droopys Flotilla in the stayers.
“She broke the track record at Nottingham last year and has trialled well at Perry Barr, so she’s probably our leading chance and our joker.”
It is a big night on the whole for Hunt as he also has Scooby The Boss competing in a Category One final, the Kent Plate at Central Park.
Hunt added: “We’ve started the year well. We had Droopys Flotilla in the Cesarewitch final at Central Park, and then we had Fire and Ice finish second in the Golden Sprint at Romford.
“We’ve got Scooby The Boss in the Kent Plate final at Central Park tonight.
“He’s a big outsider but has done brilliantly to make the final. If we can just keep making these big finals, you never know, we might nick one this year.”
Saturday March 22nd 2025
It is fair to say Andrew Ashton’s first foray into owning a racing greyhound at Monmore Green could hardly have gone better.
Ashton has long been involved in the sport as a kennelhand for his uncle, Monmore trainer Brian Thompson and made the step into ownership midway through 2023 when purchasing Knock Beeswing for just a few hundred pounds.
Thought to be a decent D2/D3 sprinter, ‘Bee’ had the potential to prove good value for money – and she has turned out to be an absolute bargain.
So much so, in fact, that Knock Beeswing has just been named the Monmore Racing Office Graded Greyhound of the Year having recorded a whopping 16 victories throughout 2024 and won twice more in 2025.
“It’s a great feeling. I couldn’t have asked for any more from her,” said Ashton.
“Last year really was a great one for us, winning 16 races, and it’s been incredible to watch her develop into such a fantastic sprinter.
“I got for a few hundred pounds when (former Monmore trainer) Jane Meek retired. I thought she’d just be a D2/D3 level and a nice little bitch to have, being my first as an owner.
“She had a little injury at the back end of 2023, and we brought her back in February 2024, with a few more kilos on her, and she’s never looked back.
“She won a D3 and then by the end of the year, she was regularly winning in D1 and had seven Open victories as well.
“Bee gets a lot of attention and likes on social media whenever she wins a race; she’s gained a bit of a following and I had a lot of nice messages from people for winning this award which was lovely.
“She’s carried her form into this year with two D1 victories and a couple of second places in Opens. She always tends to be in the top three as she’s just such an honest, consistent greyhound.
“We may take her on the road again to Nottingham at some point as it would be nice to win an Open elsewhere, but she’s just so amazing at Monmore. Fingers crossed, there’ll be some good Open races over the next few months here and she can get a few more wins under her belt.”
Knock Beeswing is due to have a special presentation photo on the podium with a personalised trophy and jacket next weekend.
Also recognised by the Monmore Racing Office for 2024 were the two greyhounds who had the most graded wins, Swift Fagan (trained by Thompson, owned by Berryhill W.M.C) and Outer Limits (Kim Billingham-Hine, Mr M.L Sweeney) who both achieved a whopping 14 victories.
Aero Peart (Chris Fereday, Miss K.L Hampton) earned the most runs gong having had 57 races over the course of the year, winning 11.
The Monmore Green Owners’ Association have also named their Dog and Bitch of the Year. Richie Taberner duo Coologue Pest and Hawk – owned by Arcadian Racing and Fantastic Foxes respectively – grabbed those awards. Coologue Pest won 10 A1s in 2024 while Hawk managed an impressive 11 from 25 outings.
Swift Fagan runs tonight as Monmore hold a special fundraiser for greyhound homing charity Home Run Hounds, with several retired greyhounds able for racegoers to meet and give a fuss.
Tuesday March 18th 2025
A remarkable Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby final saw the unbeaten Headford Dane seal a first Category One success at Monmore for trainer Maxine Locke.
The £20,000 showpiece event this past weekend was widely expected to be won by the Mark Wallis-trained Rackethall Brute, who went in odds-on having set the quickest times in both the first round and semi-finals.
But Headford Dane - the youngest greyhound in the field who had also won his two races in the build-up to the final - took the spoils in 28.09secs having finished one-and-a-half lengths clear of the favourite, who put in a valiant effort after missing the break.
The triumph had been a while coming for Romford-based handler Locke who has made several major finals at Monmore in recent years.
“A big congratulations goes to Maxine and owners, the JR Racing Syndicate after a brilliant run from Headford Dane to become the 2025 Puppy Derby champion” said Monmore deputy racing manager Jake Pain.
“It’s a first Category One success here for the kennel and thoroughly deserved as they’ve been knocking on the door for a while.
“Headford Dane was an unknown quantity coming into the competition having not raced beforehand, but he won all three of his races and looks to have a fine future ahead of him.
“Maxine and the team deserve a lot of credit. They’re a kennel very much on the up with some fantastic greyhounds.”
Monmore trainer Nathan Hunt will hope Avas Superstar, litter sister of Headford Dane, can also shine in the months to come.
Also on the evening were three Category Three finals – the first of those seeing Monmore pay tribute to former racing manager Jim Woods.
The Jim Woods Memorial Trophy, held over 630m, was won by Wallis and the MWD Partnership’s New Destiny in a flying 37.30secs.
The Ladbrokes.com 264 saw Guzzler prevail for Hove trainer Belinda Green.
The Ladbrokes.com 480 was won by prolific ‘home’ dog Vixons Filofax, one of the very best currently on the card at Monmore, for Brian Thompson and Vixon Contracts Ltd.
Saturday 15th March 2025
One of the ‘most exciting young dogs seen in a long time’ looks to clinch the Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby crown at Monmore tonight.
Rackethall Brute was the quickest greyhound in both the first-round heats and semi-finals, so it is no surprise that he is the odds-on favourite to land the £20,000 prize for trainer Mark Wallis and owners the MWD Partnership.
Victory this evening would seal a second straight Category One success at Monmore for Wallis & Co after Proper Heiress ran a blinder to triumph in the Ladbrokes Winter Derby last month and, surprisingly, it would be a first Puppy Derby success for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) champion trainer.
Wallis has another greyhound in tonight’s main event in Ballinakill Liam while Romford handler Maxine Locke boasts both Headford Dane and Ballymac Kobe.
Swindon trainer and owner Patrick Godfrey has outsider Arthur Job, and Newcastle’s Raymond Hale has Swift Bullseye.
“It’s a cracking final full of quality,” said Monmore racing manager Tony Williamson.
“I think the Wallis pup, Rackethall Brute is one of the most exciting young dogs I’ve seen in a long time.
“He has track craft and is very impressive. If he runs like he has done over the past couple of weeks, it will be difficult for anyone to catch him but they’re all in the final on merit.
“We look forward to crowning this year’s Puppy Derby champion - good luck to all connections.”
Monmore’s Puppy Derby dates all the way back to 1943 and is often seen as a springboard to the sport’s biggest competition, the English Greyhound Derby – held at Towcester in recent years – which takes place in the summer.
It will be a first Puppy Derby triumph for whichever trainer boasts the winner. Locke probably has the best chance of usurping Wallis’ Rackethall Brute with either Ballymac Kobe or Headford Dane – the latter also winning in both the first-round heats and semi-finals.
Also on the card tonight are three Category Three finals. The Ladbrokes.com 264 contains three local hopes in Knock Beeswing (Brian Thompson), Tommys Target (Kim Billingham-Hine) and Serene Highway (Richie Taberner).
Vixons Filofax (Thompson) and Untold Paanga (Nathan Hunt) are among the contenders in the Ladbrokes.com 480 while Wallis has three in the Jim Woods Memorial Trophy final – New Destiny the favourite.
The Jim Woods Memorial is run in memory of Monmore’s former racing manager and Williamson, who succeeded him in the role, added: “Jim was one of the best racing managers greyhound racing has ever had and is always much missed and remembered fondly by us here at Monmore.
“He’d have taken great delight in the quality of his own race - I think it’s the best we’ve had for the Jim Woods Memorial Trophy.”
Saturday 8th March 2025
Monmore trainer Nathan Hunt hopes Carmac Pete can upset the odds once more as the Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby semi-finals take place tonight.
Carmac Pete is the only local hope left in the prestigious Category One competition, which is worth £20,000 to the winner, after six thrilling first-round heats.
The wide runner – who boasts two wins from seven career runs so far - is a rank outsider with bookmakers in terms of going all the way (as high as 100/1) but advanced from what appeared to be the strongest of the last weekend’s heats with a third-place finish.
And with the first two from the semi-finals qualifying for next week’s showpiece, Hunt is not ruling anything out.
“He did run well in what was a very hot heat. I had given him a week off heading into it just to freshen him up as he hadn’t been trapping in his couple of races before that,” said Hunt.
“He’s certainly benefitted from the milder climate over the last couple of weeks and getting some sun on his back.
“I think he can trap better than he did last weekend, which he’ll need to do to have any chance of qualifying.
“He’s got a slim chance which is reflected in his price, but he’ll be there trying his best and I’m hopeful he’ll continue to get better heading into the summer months.
“It’s great to still be involved in such a prestigious competition, the best puppy competition in the country in my opinion.
“We’d proud to be the last local hope left and it would be a great achievement to make the final.”
Carmac Pete was a 33/1 shot in last week’s heat, with the 10/11 favourite Droopys Berries (Kevin Hutton, Oxford) finishing second behind 20/1 winner Dark Madam (Seamus Cahill, Hove).
Romeo Tomcat (Patrick Janssens, Towcester) was the ante-post favourite for the competition but finished last in that race having been crowded out at the first bend.
Tonight sees Carmac Pete take on three heat winners in Rackethall Brute (Mark Wallis, Unattached) – the quickest last week in 28.10secs – Droopys Aladdin (Michael Burton, Valley) and Jacktavern Chief (David Byrne, Irish), so it is another sizeable challenge to overcome.
Dark Madam is in the second semi-final while the third has the two other winners from last week, Droopys Invent (Cahill) and Headford Dane (Maxine Locke, Romford) in traps one and three respectively.
Also tonight, the annual Jim Woods Memorial Trophy gets under way. The competition is run over 630m in tribute to Monmore’s long-serving former racing manager and sees superstar New Destiny (Wallis) look to add another trophy to her extensive haul.
New Destiny remarkably won three Category One events last year in the form of the Challenge Cup at Oxford and both the Coronation Cup and Champion Stakes at Romford.
Saturday 1st March 2025
Monmore Green goes straight from one major competition to another as the Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby kicks off at the track tonight.
The Ladbrokes Winter Derby culminated in superb style last weekend as Proper Heiress ran the second-fastest 480m time ever seen at the Wolverhampton circuit (27.59secs), clinching the £10,000 prize for trainer Mark Wallis and owners MWD Partnership.
Now, it is the turn of the pups, with 36 born in April 2023 onwards going for a cool £20,000 including an interesting entry from over the Irish sea.
Six heats take place this evening and three will qualify from each for next week’s semi-finals.
The first heat takes place at 6.31pm and sees the well-fancied Droopys Aladdin, trained by former England rugby star Mike Burton, run from trap one.
Trap two, Ballymac Kobe (Maxine Locke, Romford) was the runner-up in the English Puppy Derby final at Towcester at the back end of last year while trap five, Signet Morgan (Kevin Hutton, Oxford) is one of two British-bred greyhounds involved.
Just two Monmore trainers are in the competition with Richie Taberner and Nathan Hunt having Newinn Deputy and Carmac Pete respectively running tonight.
Newinn Deputy goes out in the second heat aiming to build on his three Open race victories to date, and Wombourne-based handler Taberner is excited to see how he goes.
“Deputy’s one of several Droopys Sydney pups involved in the Puppy Derby and he’s certainly got ability,” said Taberner.
“We’re thinking the Puppy Derby may have come around a couple of months too soon, but you never know, and he’s got a perfect draw having trap five.
“The realistic aim for us is to try to get through to the semi-finals, so if we can do that we’d be over the moon. Fingers crossed we can get through to next week.”
Heat three has two greyhounds who made the recent Northern Puppy Derby final at Newcastle in Yahoo Maizy (Locke) and Swift Bullseye (Raymond Hale, Newcastle), while heat four looks to have the most quality on show.
Both the bookmakers’ competition favourite Romeo Tomcat (Patrick Janssens, Towcester) and second-favourite Droopys Berries (Kevin Hutton, Oxford) are involved, along with Santas Amigo (David Mullins, Romford) who has two wins from two starts at Monmore. Hunt’s Carmac Pete appears to have his work cut out.
In heat five is Jacktavern Chief of Irish trainer David Byrne, making his British bow having last run competitively at Dublin’s Shelbourne Park last month.
Heat six contains the most experienced dog in the competition, Easy Maximus (Gwyneth Rees, Sheffield) who has 21 runs and three victories to his name.
Monday 24th February 2025
One of the most amazing runs ever seen at Monmore saw Proper Heiress claim the 2025 Ladbrokes Winter Derby crown for trainer Mark Wallis.
The £10,000 final this past weekend was a formality by the first bend as bookmakers' favourite Heiress shot out of the boxes and went on to clock a stunning time of 27.59secs.
That is the second-fastest time ever recorded over the 480m distance at the Wolverhampton track - Ballymac Eske setting the track record in 2012 in 27.48secs and many feeling that would never be threatened.
Second-placed Gary The Arb (Belinda Green, Hove) ran a fine race but still ended up more than five lengths behind the MWD Partnership-owned champion, who led from start to finish.
Wallis, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) champion trainer, now adds a first Winter Derby to his extensive trophy haul while this weekend sees another Category One competition begin at Monmore in the form of the Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby.
Monmore racing manager Tony Williamson said: "It was a sublime performance from Proper Heiress to become our 2025 Winter Derby champion.
"Runs like that come about very rarely in greyhound racing and it was certainly an emphatic way to win the final.
"It was a brilliant night on the whole with the Gone To The Dogs LIVE broadcast team putting on a fantastic show which you can still watch back on YouTube.
"Congratulations again to trainer Mark Wallis and the MWD Partnership as we now look forward to the start of the Puppy Derby."
Saturday 22nd February 2025
A star-studded final featuring six of the very best greyhounds Britain has to offer takes place at Monmore Green tonight.
The 2025 Ladbrokes Winter Derby culminates at the Wolverhampton track this evening – the main event on the 12-race card coming at 8.31pm – and will see £10,000 awarded to the victor.
Gary The Arb (Belinda Green, Hove), Aayamza Sydney (John Mullins, Towcester), Droopys Pivotel (Maxine Locke, Romford), Proper Heiress (Mark Wallis), Droopys Suprstar (Michael Burton, Valley) and Nowitsmyturn (Richard Rees, Hove) are the dogs going for the coveted prize.
“It’s a brilliant final featuring six top-class greyhounds competing for the £10,000 prize and the status of the Ladbrokes Winter Derby final winner for 2025,” said Monmore racing manager Tony Williamson.
“All of them are worthy winners, but likely favourite Proper Heiress trained by champion trainer Mark Wallis has the potential to lead throughout and will be difficult to catch.
“The supporting card is strong and features super stayer Droopys Clue making his return to the track. The 2023 greyhound of the year is fabulous to watch and does not have an easy race on his return.
“It’s a brilliant night of racing to look forward to.”
Taking a closer look at each of tonight’s finalists, Gary The Arb fared best in terms of the trap draw – getting the one box – and has excelled at Monmore over the past month or so, winning four of his last five appearances at the track.
Aayamza Sydney is the most experienced greyhound in the race and, incredibly, this is his eighth Category One final appearance while Droopys Pivotel looks to seal five victories on the spin at Monmore this evening.
Proper Heiress is the bookmakers’ favourite for a reason and possesses brilliant early pace, but surprise package Droopys Suprstar and the determined Nowitsmyturn are not to be ruled out either.
Monmore is expecting its largest crowd so far this year for the event, which is being broadcast live by Gone To The Dogs on YouTube and X/Twitter with an extensive on-track presenting team from 6.30pm.
Monmore’s Summer Stayers Classic champion from last year, Droopys Clue (Seamus Cahill, Hove) runs in race five alongside the runner-up from that race, Queen Georgia (Elizabeth McNair (Central Park).
Last year’s Monmore Gold Cup champion, Churchfield Syd (Rees) is in race six against a quality field including McNair’s King Memphis.
Saturday 15th February 2025
A former England rugby star turned successful greyhound trainer is hoping to book his place in a major final at Monmore Green.
Mike Burton was capped 17 times by England in the 1970s and played for the British and Irish Lions, while also making 360 appearances at club level to cement legendary status at Gloucester.
Having had a strong interest in greyhounds for several decades, he branched out on his own as a trainer a couple of years ago – his graded runners being at The Valley in Wales.
Tonight sees him take Droopys Suprstar into one of three Ladbrokes Winter Derby semi-finals at Monmore on the back of a brilliant last-to-first victory in first-round heats last weekend.
Suprstar has the benefit of being drawn in trap one while many of the competition’s other greyhounds – ‘railers’ by trade who would prefer to run out of trap one or two – are having to contend with starting from wider boxes as they aim to seal a spot in next week’s £10,000 final.
The September 22’ dog has won his last two appearances at Monmore but will not have it easy as Queen Georgia, who is now the bookmakers’ favourite to go all the way in the Winter Derby, runs from trap two for Elizabeth McNair (Central Park) having set the quickest time last weekend.
Droopys Extragud (Heather Dimmock, Towcester), the only remaining local hope in Nathan Hunt’s Scooby The Boss and Proper Heiress (Mark Wallis) are the others competing in the first semi-final which goes off at 6.48pm.
The second semi-final comes at 7.22pm and sees Gary The Arb – the most eye-catching performer in recent weeks at the Wolverhampton track – have to make do with a run from trap four for Hove’s Belinda Green.
Should he perform at the same level shown as of late, he should avoid any potential trouble at the first bend, but Millbank Boiler (Gemma Evans, Romford) also won well in the first round.
The final semi-final contains the only middle seed remaining in the competition, Keefill Rocky trained by Doncaster’s Philip Milner.
If he was to finish in the top two and progress to the final, he would be guaranteed the six box again – but Droopys Pivotel (Maxine Locke, Romford) and Nowitsmyturn (Richard Rees, Hove) are ones to keep an eye on as well.
The Winter Derby final next week will be broadcast live on YouTube by Gone to the Dogs with an on-course presenting team, commentary of all the races and trackside interviews happening throughout the night.
Saturday 8th February 2025
Monmore trainer Nathan Hunt is excited to see how things go as he takes two greyhounds into a star-studded Ladbrokes Winter Derby first round tonight.
The Winter Derby is Monmore’s first major competition of 2025 and sees 36 of Britain’s very best dogs vying for the £10,000 prize, with this evening’s card the strongest the Wolverhampton track has had for several months at least.
Hunt – now solely training at Monmore having had his last runners at sister track Romford earlier this week – takes both Scooby The Boss and Clona Stand into the Category One event.
Scooby The Boss runs in the second of the night’s six heats and needs a top three finish to get through to next week’s semi-finals. Clona Stand goes from trap five in the fifth heat.
“Clona Stand has done well for us so far, winning three of four races, and even managed to win Category Three competitions at both Hove and Monmore already,” said Hunt.
“He’s got good Irish form as well, but this will be a step up in class for him.
“We’ve seeded him as a middle runner and there’s a lot of railers in the competition, so if he can get through the first round, he should be able to get a decent trap draw for the semi-finals.
“If he can get away nice and early, he’s got a good chance.
“Scooby The Boss has only had one race with us but managed to win that and has run superbly in trials. He also did well back in Ireland.
“He’s probably our best chance of success and trap two suits him for this race, although Millbank Boiler inside of him has lots of early pace too.
“We’re solely at Monmore now and it would be nice to do well in the Winter Derby on the back of that.
“It’s a seriously hot competition and we’re excited to see how our boys do.”
Heat One gets the event started with a bang as Gary The Arb (Belinda Green, Hove) takes on Links Maverick (Tom Heilbron, Newcastle) in what will be a thrilling battle to the first bend.
Gary The Arb ran a flying time of 27.71secs at Monmore a few weeks ago – the quickest achieved since Links Maverick’s 27.70 in the summer of 2023.
Another Monmore hope involved in heat one is Kim Billingham-Hine’s Toolmaker Note who won in fine fashion last weekend.
Billingham-Hine also has Phoenix Posh, with three wins from her last four outings, taking part in heat two alongside Hunt’s Scooby The Boss.
A tough-to-call heat three is followed by a tasty fourth heat containing last year’s Ladbrokes Gold Cup champion Churchfield Syd (Richard Rees, Hove) and another super-consistent performer in El Tornillo (David Lee, Crayford). Proper Heiress (Mark Wallis) is also well-fancied by bookmakers.
Two Monmore trainers in Brian Thompson and Pat Doocey have one representative each as Vixons Filofax and Longacres Magic go out in heat five and six respectively.
Filofax has arguably been Monmore’s standout Open-class dog over the last 12 months but has been limited to trials as of late while Magic has been in fine fettle with two firsts and a second over the past few weeks.
Magic, however, does go up against some elite operators including last year’s Summer Stayers Classic runner-up Queen Georgia (Elizabeth McNair, Central Park) and Coolavanny Mercy (Angela Harrison, Newcastle).
Saturday 1st February 2025
A stellar card sees 27 trainers all descend on Monmore Green tonight as part of a final effort to get into the Ladbrokes Winter Derby.
The prestigious Winter Derby – which is worth £10,000 to the winner and the Wolverhampton track’s first Category One event this year – gets underway next weekend.
This evening sees six trial stakes take place with a fine performance going a long way to ensuring a place in the 36-dog competition.
Jake Pain, assistant racing manager at Monmore, said: “We’re really looking forward to the racing this weekend with 11 high-quality Open races on the card.
“Six of those are trial stakes for the Winter Derby while there’s also three Puppy races in view of the Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby which begins in early March, as well as both a 264m sprint and 630m stayers’ race.
“We also have some top-class greyhounds trialling and, with all things considered, we’re expecting over 50 entries for the Winter Derby.
“It’s always a difficult process leaving dogs out, but we’re excited to see who performs well as we welcome some of the best trainers and greyhounds around this weekend.”
The main event of the night is race 11 at 9.23pm featuring the bang-in-form Gary The Arb.
Trained by Hove’s Belinda Green, he has won in consecutive weeks at Monmore with the first of those coming in a flying 27.71secs – the quickest 480m winning time since that managed by Tom Heilbron’s Links Maverick in the summer of 2023.
John Mullins’ Aayamza Sydney, in trap three, has gone deep in Category One competitions previously though while David Lee’s El Tornillo, in six, is a consistent performer.
Among the local hopes is Longacres Magic who aims to make it a hat-trick of Open victories in race nine (8.47pm) for Walsall-based Monmore handler Pat Doocey.
The two-year-old dog has enjoyed a purple patch as of late, winning five of his last six outings, and a similar display should be enough to earn a place in the Winter Derby field.
Kim Billingham-Hine’s Phoenix Posh runs from trap one in the same race and could well be another ‘home dog’ to make the cut despite not having a wealth of experience.
Billingham-Hine also has two new recruits making their British debuts, with Droopys Expected and Toolmaker Note going for glory in race four and eight respectively.
Another local Winter Derby hopeful, Aero Pattika runs in race six for Richie Taberner aiming to replicate his triumph from a few weeks ago.
Saturday 25th January 2025
Gary The Arb looks to reproduce one of the most stunning runs seen in recent years at Monmore Green in Open race action this evening.
The July 2022 dog, handled by the Hove-based Belinda Green, wowed racegoers last weekend with a super-fast winning time of 27.71secs over the standard 480m trip.
That was the quickest clock since August 2023 when prolific competition winner Links Maverick went around in 27.70secs and bodes well for the Ladbrokes Winter Derby which begins in a fortnight.
Tonight’s test for Gary The Arb sees him run from his preferred box, trap one in the 8.13pm Ladbrokes.com 480 Division One.
Should he produce a repeat of last weekend, it is very difficult to see him getting beat but there are some classy operators in the race including Kilara Roberto who made last year’s Monmore Gold Cup final for Richard Rees (Hove).
Kim Billingham-Hine’s Phoenix Posh is the novice of the field but won his first Open in impressive fashion last weekend.
Just later on is a Category Three sprint final which sees Gary The Arb’s kennelmates Bombout Bullet and Guzzler go for glory.
There are two local hopes as well, with Richie Raberner’s Maughera Ace having won his heat last Saturday night and Vixons Hope (Brian Thompson) qualified having finished second in his heat behind Guzzler.
The Ladbrokes.com 480 Division Two has Longacres Magic aiming to make it three wins in a row for Monmore trainer Pat Doocey.
Another Doocey dog, Hilton Wolf is involved in the Ladbrokes.com 480 Division Three along with Billingham-Hine’s Do Gooder who did well to recover from a slow start and finish third last time out – the race that Gary The Arb dominated.
The Ladbrokes.com 480 Maiden sees three pups have their first-ever British race with the veteran of the field being Taberner’s wide runner Serene Warrior, who has 18 races and three graded wins under his belt up to yet.
Finally tonight, Craig Marston has two dogs looking to make it three wins in succession in graded races.
Heathers Charm and Ranches Chancer look to make it a hat-trick in race one and four respectively.
Saturday 18th January 2025
Monmore trainer Richie Taberner has one eye on next month’s Ladbrokes Winter Derby as Aero Pattika competes in a high-quality Category Three final this evening.
Pattika won in impressive fashion last weekend for the Wombourne-based Taberner to make tonight’s Ladbrokes.com 480 showpiece (8.47pm), worth £1,000 to the winner.
The race acts as something of a warm-up for the prestigious Winter Derby – a 36-greyhound competition and one of four Category One events held at Monmore annually – which gets underway on February 8th.
That event will see a cool £10,000 awarded to the victor and Taberner hopes Pattika can be involved having previously shone over shorter distances.
“Pattika is a class animal and has Derby quality pace to 450m. We’re just hoping now that he’s two years old he’s got that bit more stamina,” said Taberner on Pattika, who made the National Sprint final at Nottingham at the back end of 2024.
“If he can mature into a proper 480m dog, he will be a big player for all major competitions over four bends.
“Hopefully, he can give the Aero Racing Syndicate a bit of silverware to enjoy by winning this final.”
Pattika, who turned two last September, has 40 races under his belt and won 14 of those, with seven second-place finishes as well.
He runs from trap three tonight while fellow Monmore handler Nathan Hunt has Clona Stand in six - the rest of the field coming from away trainers.
Ahead of next month’s Winter Derby, Taberner also has Coologue Pest and Aero Becks showing promise over four bends.
They both run this evening as well, with Pest in the Ladbrokes.com 480 Division One and Becks in the Ladbrokes.com 480 Division Three. They are the last and first races on tonight’s card respectively.
“Pest only raced A1 and Open races throughout 2024 at Monmore and that’s special, staying at the top for 12 months. He won 12 races along the way as well,” added Taberner.
“He’s a bang railer and needs trap one in an ideal world, but if he can get across from trap three with a fast exit and lead at the first bend, he will be tough to beat.
“Becks has a tremendous strike rate and a real will to win.
“She’s excelled on both the graded and Open race circuit for owners Rachael Biggs and Nick Clifford who are very proud.”
Also tonight, a Category Three sprint competition gets underway with three heats – two dogs advancing from each to next week’s final. Brian Thompson’s super-consistent Knock Beeswing is among those involved.
Kim Billingham-Hine’s Phoenix Posh hopes to impress in the Ladbrokes.com 480 Maiden while Jonis Taxi steps up for Gary Griffiths in the Ladbrokes.com 630 Maiden.
Pat Doocey pair Longacres Drip and Hilton Wolf look to do the business in the Ladbrokes.com 630 and Ladbrokes.com 480 Division Two respectively.
Saturday 11th January 2025
Kim Billingham-Hine prospect Do Gooder looks to get a big victory under his belt as Monmore hosts its first set of Open races this year.
With Monmore’s first Category One competition of 2025, the Ladbrokes Winter Derby on the horizon, trainers from across the country are taking their dogs to Monmore tonight in a bid to get them in the groove.
Billingham-Hine’s Do Gooder runs in the Ladbrokes.com 480 Maiden (7.06pm) and has been highlighted as a greyhound to keep an eye out for this year by industry experts.
He made the English Puppy Derby final at Towcester in November and had some strong showings in Open races at Nottingham as well.
Do Gooder goes from trap five and won his last start at Monmore, albeit that was an A3 graded race back on October 24th.
Tonight also sees two heats take place in the Category Three Ladbrokes.com 480 competition – three qualifying from each heat for next week’s final.
Having made the National Sprint Final at Nottingham at the back end of 2024, Richie Taberner’s Aero Pattika steps back up to the four-bend trip and competes alongside kennelmate Amazing Hulk in the first heat (7.06pm).
Arthur Crumpet (Patrick Godfrey, Swindon) has impressed previously at Monmore, though, while Nathan Hunt pup Kohinoor Spinner could be in for a bright future.
Another new Hunt recruit, wide runner Clona Stand is worth a look in heat two (7.56pm) although widely respected trainer Belinda Green (Hove) has both Aghaburren Milly and Miami Sapphire in the race.
Pat Doocey’s Hilton Wolf, however, is the one with by far the most experience at Monmore which could stand him in good stead.
William Russell railer Magical Bertie steps up to the six-bend trip for the Ladbrokes.com 630 (8.13pm) having won twice over 500m at Nottingham before.
Arguably the strongest Open race of the evening is the last one, the Ladbrokes.com 264 sprint at 8.47pm.
Both Alien Bolt (Taberner) and Newinn Souly (Billingham-Hine) were involved in the aforementioned National Sprint final while Russell’s Magical Bluebear is a former Category One winner, having claimed the Kent Silver Salver at Central Park last summer.
Perhaps an even better pick than all of those, though, is Green’s Bombout Bullet who had the quickest sprint time of any dog at Monmore in 2024 – a flying 15.15secs last February.
