He might have arrived at Perry Barr as the odds-on favourite, but Patrick Janssens was made to sweat to land his first ever Judgement Night (Trainers Championship meeting).
He trailed Kevin Hutton going into the final leg and had to rely on a second place from Hawkfied Ozark to scrape home by two points.
Patrick said: “I love these meetings. They are always so much fun. I thought we could win it, but we had some poor draws and since the idea was introduced of having a joker, it puts a whole different complexion on things.”
There were three successful jokers played during the meeting with only John Mullins left kicking himself after favouring Callmesteve (beaten) over Signet Goofy.
For his part, Patrick surprisingly left out Coolavanny Shado from his team and was vindicated when Hawkfield Ozark delivered the decisive point in the final race.
He joked: “Shado is an ‘Aubamayang’, we needed a team player. When Ozark went to the bend in second place, my only thought was ‘don’t do anything stupid’. Thankfully he didn’t.
Overall, the kennel delivered a double with youngster Slick Saratoga and the ever reliable ‘Lucy’ (Fabulous Azurra) in line for special praise.
Patrick said: “She is only nine weeks out of season and three or four lengths away from her best. What a greyhound she is.
“I also want to pay tribute to Perry Barr. The professionalism of that place is exceptional, from the racing office through to every aspect of the meeting. These Judgement Nights have a special place in the calendar and I hope we never lose them.”
It is also worth noting that Racing Manager Martin Seal maintained his reputation as a top tipster picking six winners from 11 selections: Slick Saratoga (5-6f) Gougane Jet/Fabulous Azurra (both 10-11f), Mystical Mario (13-8f) Signet Goofy (7-4), and Saffrons Dash (9-2).