Nottingham round up
Catunda Ciaran best of the night, winning fifth race on the bounce.
Stephen Naylor has got his son of Dorotas Wildcat firing on all cylinders of late. Three open race wins at Sheffield and an A1 proceeded last night’s success. A strong runner over a galloping four bends, one of his Sheffield wins saw him pick up Birmingham Cup finalist Unanimous Leon.
The other heat of the Gents Standard was a messy affair, won by Crafty Elmo for Colin Wilton. The Ladies Standard heat one was a thriller where Barry Denby’s Triller picked up Jaymir Arlo late on. The runner-up is with Jim Daly who landed heat two with Faithful Friend.
Links Weapon picked up the lead at the opening turn in the 480 final and was not for catching from there for Sarah Spillane. Time Counts sprung a surprise when landing the 255m contest for Jill Llewellin while the longer sprint contest was won by Richie Taberner’s Zilzal. Killaun Dimby won the stayers contest for Peter Holland.
Produce Stakes Final – Latest Odds
Just two days until one of the biggest races of the British Bred year.
On the clock this should be a tight-knit contest and the betting agrees. Two lengths covers five of the six on their best times in the competition so far. Four dogs and two bitches have made the final with the fairer sex on top in recent years, winning three of the last four.
9/4 Romeo Crusade, Union Rebel 4/1 Southfield Poppy 5/1 Keefill Goose, Romeo Cypher 20/1 Southfield Petal
Greyhound Trader Sales
The next Greyhound Trader Sales will be at Towcester next Monday, September 23
Yesterday saw the release of the catalogue with 40 lots and seven reserves. The youngest greyhounds for sale are July 23 whelps, with lots of eyes on trial six. Pups from Droopys Stud always command the attention and this pair look likely to continue that trend.
Lot 11 Droopys Symphony is a June 23 bitch by Coolavanny Hoffa out of Bo Shine Bullet. In 2021 the dam made the final of the Golden Jacket, George Ing St Leger, Regency and Champion Stakes. She is sure to attract the attention of anyone looking to the future. She trials with a July 23 dog, Droopys Thoerem who is a half-brother to Droopys Doughnut and Droopys Nice One amongst others.
Memoir is Lot 15, part of a December 22 Unlock Unlock litter to Ballymac Bolger. She already has a 28.88 Shelbourne trial on her card and weighs in at more than 32 kilos. There will be a complete preview of all the lots on the Greyhound Trader site in the next couple of days.
From football to greyhound racing
Retired footballer turned greyhound enthusiast aims for the stars with new ownership venture
A retired footballer whose semi-professional team is climbing the Scottish Football League ladder has eyes on a new prize after discovering an enthusiasm for greyhound racing.
Craig Armstrong represented clubs including Aberdeen, Shotts Bon Accord and Bellshill Athletic during his player career and is now Director of Football at Gartcairn FC.
The club’s first team has won two promotions in the last three seasons and plays in the West of Scotland League Premier Division with over 800 junior members plus a senior team, women’s squad and provisions for neurodiverse players with additional needs.
The 44-year-old is now hoping to translate success on the pitch to joy on the track after becoming the proud owner of 12 racing greyhounds trained by Livingstone-based handler Brian Fairbairn, also a former footballer.
And the pair are aiming for the top after kennel star Slingshot Sam finished runner-up in the Time Greyhound Nutrition Northern Flat – one of the sport’s most prestigious competitions – and Slingshot Ali reached the final of the Arena Racing Company Puppy Cup at Newcastle and Sunderland Stadiums respectively.
“We’ve won trophies and leagues on the pitch – now we want success in greyhound racing and everyone at the club is onboard,” said Craig. “We all experienced a terrific buzz when (Slingshot) Sam almost won our first Category One competition this summer.
“That night at Newcastle has only fuelled our enthusiasm for greyhound racing and we have scores of people who want to be part of the journey.”
Top of Craig’s targets is the Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup – a competition first held in 1938 and now worth £20,000 to the winner.
It is open to 36 greyhounds and takes place during the festive season at Newcastle Stadium with this year’s final scheduled for Friday, December 27. Over 140 people connected to the ‘Slingshot’ prefix have already booked their tickets for finals night where it is hoped one of the dozen greyhounds owned by Craig can scoop the prize.
“I don’t think so many people have booked in for a finals night so far in advance not knowing if they’ll even have a runner,” said Craig. “That’s how enthusiastic everyone is – we’ve built a real community of people who love greyhounds.
“They love seeing the work that happens behind the scenes at the kennels. Everyone works hard and the dogs are so well looked after which resonates with everyone.
“Last year’s All England Cup final really motivated us to continue our ownership journey – the atmosphere was electric.
“Our first targets were to win A1 and open races, then reach Category Two and Category One finals. We achieved those quite quickly with Ali and Sam, so our next target is the big one.
“And we believe we have a fair chance of achieving it with our dogs.”
After retiring from football in 2016 having made over 200 professional appearances, Brian is now responsible for 20 greyhounds and is supported each day by his father George.
The pair’s passion for greyhounds stems from Brian’s grandfather. And it was a chance meeting with Craig via a mutual friend which led to them training some of the country’s fastest dogs.
Brian said: “Craig is a real people person, he loves bringing groups together and making the best of any situation.
“When the opportunity to race our greyhounds at Newcastle Stadium presented itself, we jumped at the chance and haven’t looked back. We’re only a small team, but we have big ambitions and love the challenge with the support of our brilliant owners including Craig.
“Fingers crossed we can experience more success this year.”
Stats
- Topper Conor – 3.01 Romford – 8/13 from trap four.
- Dreamin Folly – 5.24 Perry Barr – 7/13 when in the blue jacket.
Opens
Wednesday: Yarmouth
Thursday: Swindon
Friday: Romford
Saturday: Doncaster♦ Perry Barr
