“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog come out the traps faster than that in my life”

Oxford Racing Manager Simon Pearson was not the only person present at Cowley to be stunned by the record breaking performance of Links Maverick in the Pall Mall Official Trialstakes on Saturday night.

The Tom Heilbron trained black went below both the sectional and 450 metre track record when justifying his position as the ante post favourite for the £20K first round which takes place next Saturday (draw at GBGB on Monday).

Simon added: “I thought Maverick was exceptional, but the old track record went three times and there were some other fabulous performances. I was really impressed by Hawkfield Ozark and Coppice Tenzin running from trap six. It promises to be a great event.”

The meeting, which was not broadcast on the SIS betting service or featured on RPGTV, attracted the biggest Saturday night greyhound crowd since the stadium re-opened.

Spokesman Dave Boothby said: “The crowd was massive and there was such a great atmosphere. The betting was particularly strong. One of the bookies told me that between the three standing, they had taken over £75,000 on the night. Absolutely delighted.”