Walshes Hill set a new Newcastle 290-metre track record on Saturday. The big black clocked 16.75, three spots inside the previous best recorded by Target Brett writes John Forbes.
It was his 13th win in his 17 UK outings for trainer Jimmy Wright who stated: “We always knew he was going to do it, it was just a matter of when!”
Wright also introduced a youngster full of potential at the same meeting in Droopys Buick. Previously unraced, but flagged up top Star readers at the beginning of the month, the November 2013 Yeah Man and Droopys Hilda, he had been performing well in his qualifying trials.
He was loaded into the one box the even-money favourite for the williamhill.com Puppy, and he fully justified that confidence by emerging from the first bend crowding with an advantage that he turned into a winning margin of three and a quarter lengths over Pond Genesis in 28.86 for the 480 metres.
Wright said: “This was his first ever race and he is still running a bit green. He has the potential to be a very good dog – his 17.08 in a sprint trial should tell you how good he is – and I hope he could be our hope for the William Hill Northern Puppy Derby in October, but we will have to see how he develops.”
