The Nottingham British Breeders Stakes Final takes place as the highlight of tonight’s card at 9.22pm. Despite more than a few of the leading fancies for outright honours falling by the wayside , it is a final full of quality and just reward for connections of the greyhounds.
Breeding a greyhound is no easy decision in the sports current climate. The public only see the ‘almost’ finished article as these wonderful dogs reach the track. Hours and hours of dedication are put into these greyhounds to see them through their formative weeks and months. Once they start approaching the 13 month mark , thoughts turn to schooling and it is most likely at this point that dreams of stardom are made or lost.
Tonight’s finalists are among the leading lights of British breeding with the winner taking home a prize of £7500 plus trophy. Of course the prize money will prove useful in investing back into the connections passion , however it is the title that everybody desires.
Lining up from trap 1 is the Paul Young trained and Champagne Club Syndicate owned Bubbly Majestic (With 2 wins from 14 career starts to his name this good looking blue dog will need to show improvement if he is to land the spoils this evening , finishing third in his heat before claiming runners up position in his semi final behind Romeo Mandate. Can he go one better tonight? Best 13-2 Betfred, Skybet
Wearing the blue jacket of trap 2 is the huge 40 kilo greyhound Carn Brae, a winner of 13 of his 51 career starts his winning record has maybe been hampered on occasions by his size. Big greyhounds like this are notoriously difficult to keep sound.
After reaching the Star Sports Bookmakers English Greyhound Derby Quarter Final at Towcester in 2017 , injury was beginning to play a part in his career thereafter. Sent to the Nottingham kennel of Robert Hall earlier this year , he could never regain his best form however a move back to John Mullins in recent times has seen this stunning brindle take off.
An unlucky runner up behind the game Swift Hansel in the Three Steps To Victory Final at Sheffield in September , he lines up in his second Category 1 Final in as many months. After finishing second in his heat , he put to use a tremendous make up on the rail in trap 1 to power to victory in his semi final. No doubt the loss of trap 1 is a concern but all the same he is a leading player tonight. Best 10-3 Ladbrokes
Let Me Tell You lines up from the white jacket of trap 3 under the guidance of trainer Angie Kibble and owner Mr J Miles. This brindle dog came into the competition without a win since his A1 victory at Swindon in July. Despite plenty of previous experience of this track he also came into the competition without a recent look around.
This hasn’t hindered him in the slightest , running out a comfortable victor of his heat in 3013 (+30) he belied his odds of 10/1 in his semi final , running out an easy 2 1/2 length winner from Down To The Felt in 3011 (+30). Though he would prefer a rails draw , trap 3 has often helped a greyhound ping and if he can get across the inside pairing early , he will surely go close. Best 9-2 Betfred
When Liz and Rab McNair headed to Nottingham with their team of superstar pups , many , your previewer included expected them to line up with at least a couple or more in tonight’s final. As Rab pointed out, it’s never that easy and so it proved. The eliminated greyhounds will all , I’m sure , go on to have plenty of success throughout their time in the sport and in particular may as with a speedy and successful rehabilitation to King Sheeran.
If anybody had told the McNair’s that they would be headed to Nottingham with just the one finalist and that the greyhound in question would be King Diamond, most probably wouldn’t have believed it. This is a litter with huge strength in dept however and though Diamond has time to find on the clock , who’s to say he can’t do so, he can only improve for his first couple of looks around this venue and I’m sure after the injury sustained to Sheeran and with the effort put into the breeding operation by Liz , Rab and ‘the boss’ Brendan Keogh , nobody would begrudge them outright honours.Best 14-1 Betfred
The runner in stripes is the Heather Dimmock trained and Mr G Norville owned Down To The Felt. Felt ran out a 10 1/4 length winner of his heat in 2987 (+30) and despite finishing second in his semi final he lost absolutely nothing in defeat.
A missed break and a troubled passage was never going to play to the strengths of this blue dog. Despite this however he showed tremendous guts to go down by just over 2 lengths to Let Me Tell You. With just 4 wins from 23 starts to his name he hasn’t been prolific so far in his career , however he has often raced in the best of company , highlighted by a final performance in the GMG Steel City Cup Final earlier this month. He’ll need to break in his best style , but if doing so is the greyhound that they all have to beat. Best 5-2 William Hill
The very best of luck to all breeders , trainers and owners in tonight’s final , yourselves and your greyhounds have done yourselves proud. May the best greyhound prove victorious this evening.
