Across The Field’s owners Bill Skidmore and Mark Halford weren’t the only ones celebrating a fine sprint open win at Monmore on Saturday night.
The National Sprint semi finalist showed devastating early to lead track specialist Signet Mafia and and then hold on by a short head in a very respectable 15.46 for the 265m.
The victory saw the son of Farloe Rumble complete a hat-trick in fine style having won back to back top grade D1 events at the track during December. A July 2019 whelp he’s a lightly raced type who now has a winning record of 5 wins from just 11 career starts.
Trainer Kim Billingham said “he’s really pleasing me and I’m delighted to see him running so well for his owners Bill and Mark. Particularly so in the case of Mark as this is his first venture into greyhound racing and I know he’s getting a huge buzz from the dog. This game soon gets hold of you and I know he’s got the bug already”.
Meanwhile, there was a loud cheer from Hartlepool where Steve Dobson, the joint owner of Across The Field’s sire Farloe Rumble, celebrated a great advertising coup.
Steve said: “We’ve had Rumble since last summer and although Meenagh Miracle (who won the Irish Cesarewitch and ran Newinn Taylor to half a length in the Irish Derby Final) has been a brilliant advert for him, breeders want early pace.”
The former Cork 525 yard record holder (27.92) moved to the North East last summer but has only been lightly used at stud.
Steve said: “I think he has been breeding’s best kept secret but hopefully Across The Fields can put him back on the map. There are a lot of exciting youngsters coming through by him. He is nine and a half now so no matter how long his stud career, he will have a good home here.”
