There can be few less accurate competition names in the Calendar. The PGR ALL ENGLAND Cup

Cos let’s face it, its unofficial title is considerably more accurate – ‘the North East Derby’.

And it doesn’t take a genius to work out why.

The last ten winning trainers reads:  Williams, Soppitt, Rosney, Power, Lister, Harrison, Harrison, Fenwick, Rosney, Harrison

Newcastle GM Ian Walton said: “This is the event that all the locals want to win but there aren’t many Southern trainers on the list are there? Because I’m not sure Charlie Lister or Pat Rosney would consider themselves as ‘Southerners’.”

Proud Geordie Walton is desperate to see the best Southern hounds take on the locals and believes this is the best opportinity in years for a genuine ‘All England’ event, given the record £20,000 on offer is for just three runs.

He said: “I can understand that given our locati0n, the time of year and the fact that it was £10,000 to the winner, a lot of top dogs in the south decided not to bother. But it isn’t just the extra prize money on offer. I think these £20K PGR races carry extra prestige and if dogs are thinking about Greyhound of the Year titles, the All England could be very significant.

“I think Newcastle is a fair track and you can get a decent guide by Perry Barr. Most dogs that run there well also take to Newcastle. I remember that in inter-tracks, Perry Barr was the place that our dogs ran the best. You never know, even the Irish might consider it. In the not too distant past Paul Hennessy and Pat Buckley brought runners and they would be made to feel very welcome.”

 

Walton’s first All England experience came when he was working at Sunderland.

He said: “We had an inter-track against Newcastle when they had Hurleys Hero trained by Dave Spraggon and we called on a new dog trained by Kelly Macari. Incredibly, neither won it, but Kelly’s dog, Mill Pinpoint, went on to win the following year’s All England Cup. It is a competition I have followed closely ever since.”

That was 2010, and since then, there have been some fabulous local winners. Three in particular stick in Ian’s mind.

He said: “Ice On Fire is the obvious one in the last couple of years. It is such a shame that he never got the chance to show his ability to a wider audience in the English Derby. Droopys Verve is another who really captured the public imagination and just missed out in the Derby. The third great winner would be Droopys Expert. Most people outside Newcastle probably wouldn’t have him in the same bracket as the other two, but Expert was exceptional around here with two of the fastest 480s ever recorded (27.98/28.00).”

So pick us five to look out for in the 2022 event.

Ian said: “There are some very good dogs in there, though whether they are the calibre of the three I mentioned is a matter of opinion.

“My first choice would have to be Brookside Richie who has 28.44 winning form here and loves the track. He hasn’t been completely firing in recent weeks but I subscribe to the theory that ‘class is permanent’ so I can’t leave him out.

“Next I would go for Blackhouse Harry who has been exceptional here since he was a puppy. He hasn’t been the luckiest in finals (3rd in Northern Puppy Derby, w/d Monmore Puppy Derby Final, RU Sporty Stuff Puppy Trophy) but has great ability. He may lack a yard to the turn, but his ability to run a bend more than makes up for it. He is an older dog now and is a real track specialist.

“My third choice is a bit ‘left field’ because I haven’t seen him run, but Da Bold Freddie looks an interesting dog based on his Irish form. He was sold by GreyhoundTrader and like Blackhouse Harry is still involved in the Eclipse.

“Move Over Cha is another who will have plenty of support. He will be looking to do what Narcos The Great just failed to do last year with the Classic/All England double. He has 28.50 form here and ran Monmore very well too to win the Gold Cup. If he was to win the All England too he would have to be a serious Greyhound of the Year contender.

“Last but not least is the defending champion Moanteen Mikey. Some people say he doesn’t really see out the trip but he saw it out well enough last year. He is from a kennel with a great record in the event and would have a strong chance of getting his ideal draw as one of the few wide runners likely to be entered.”

 

The 2022 Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup closes for entries on Friday December 9 and gets underway on Tuesday December 13. (Semis 20th – final 27th).

Anyone requiring trials is asked to call 0191 210 5305