Coolavanny Shado, fresh from his victory in the recent Ladbrokes Winter Derby, is the surprise name in the first round of the ARC Northern Flat which kicks off at Newcastle on Thursday.
Patrick Janssens’ runner, who arrived at Byker for the All England Cup but crashed out in the first round, is already scheduled to contest the Laurels. So his entry came as a welcome surprise to GM Ian Walton.
He said: “We are delighted to see Patrick prepared to travel with just one dog and I am sure the locals will appreciate him turning up. He is a quality greyhound and I hope he goes a long way.
“Overall, considering what else is going on, we are delighted with the quality of the entry: Brookside Richie, Blackhouse Harry, recent Puppy Derby runner-up Kilara Scottie, Moanteen Mikey . . . we actually ended up with five reserves too.”
