Tom ready for the open road

Newcastle trainer Tom Heilbron is expecting to send out his last graded runner within the next month as he moves on to become an ‘all open’ kennel.

He said: “We only have one graded dog at Newcastle now and the owner is actively looking to place the dog in another kennel.

“I have nothing against graded runners in general, or Newcastle, it just isn’t what I want to do. My other business pays for my lifestyle and I don’t take out penny out of the kennel; I am lucky enough to be able to choose.

“Within the next week we will have open race runners at Towcester, Sheffield, Doncaster and Nottingham and we will always support opens at Newcastle whenever they stage them.

“We also have a litter at Bicester who are due back soon but I may do the same as Rab and Liz (McNair) who put their youngsters into other Central Park trainers to gain experience and so they can determine how good they are. Ours will come to Newcastle.”

With three full time staff, four part timers, plus Tom himself, manpower is not an issue given the size of the kennel.

Tom said: “We have space for 47, but will restrict it to around 40. We’ve had a very good 18 months to two years and have a waiting list for people wanting to put dogs with us. I just want to enjoy it and for me personally, that is all about open racing.”

The kennel have just one representative at Towcester this weekend with Glorious Tom the only survivor of the kennel’s seven first round entries. The most notable absentee though is clearly Links Maverick who showed no glimpse of his true form when eliminated last weekend.

Tom said: “He showed nothing at all from the boxes or from then on. The symptoms were the same as acidosis but you would expect that in the latter stages of the race, not throughout.

“We have had him checked over by two diffferent physios and they can find soreness without any significant injury. It is a bit mysterious but I have heard rumours that a few other runners last week had suffered after the races, so I have a suspicion that there might be some sort of virus knocking around.

“Whatever happens, I would love to have a few runners on final night. Whether Maverick will be among them it is a bit too early to say.”

Coronation Cup – ante post

5/1 New Destiny, 13/2 Miami Bullet, 8/1 Droopys Eunice, 14/1 Baywatch Bullet, 16/1 Bell Royale, Fabulous Sonique, Ranchers Wolf, 18/1 Allowdale Cazoo, 20/1 Ballymac Johnjo, Lemming Force, Minnie Bullet, Romeo Hotshot, Cooladerry Dust, 25/1 Annual Bono, Golden Palace, 28/1 Ballintee Noshow, Ballymac Diana, Hazelhill Coco, 33/1 Princess Athena, Untold Paanga, Zebedee Fourteen, 50/1 Deadly Jet, Tromora Rex, Urry Up Rosie, 66/1 Ashwood Bocko, Bonville Jet, Droopys By Amile, Joes Sagar, Leeview Glory, Roxys Bullet, Senahel Pikachu, You Two, 100/1 Swift Radiantly, Underground Roxi, 150/1 Dick Turpin, 200/1 Bubbly Ranger

Entain Celebrates the Greyhounds of the Year 2023

Entain have announced a series of awards to celebrate exceptional performances from graded greyhounds at their four tracks.

This year’s awards have been categorized into three distinct honours: Most Graded Races, Most Graded Wins, and the coveted Graded Greyhound of the Year for each track.

The winners were meticulously selected by each Racing Manager, reflecting the exceptional performance and dedication of the greyhounds and their connections.

Most Graded Races 2023:
Crayford: Slaney Marabella – Trainer Kerry Daly, Owner Miss K Daly
Romford: Roll On Queenie – Trainer Paul Young, Owner Roll On Syndicate
Hove: Sharp Bobby – Trainer Seamus Cahill, Owner Sharp Lads
Monmore: Winterfield Kell – Trainer Chris Jones, Owner Mr C Jones

Most Graded Wins 2023:
Crayford: Galley Impact – Trainer Nick Carter, Owner Premier Racing
Romford: Crohane Majic – Trainer John Simpson, Owners Mr. L. Aylward, Miss. J. A. Hughes, Mr. P. A. James, Mr. L. J. Kelly
Hove: Landers Reach – Trainer Derek Knight, Owners Mr A J Duckett, Mr S J Porter & Mrs J K Porter
Monmore: Barnfield Barra – Trainer Kim Billingham, Owner Mr N Parkes

Graded Greyhound of the Year:
Crayford: Moaning Zoff – Trainer Darren Whitton, Owner Mr D Perkins
Romford: Second Captain – Trainer Katie O’Flaherty, Owner Mr E Freshwater
Hove: Yassoo Spike – Trainer George Andreas, Owner Mr G Andreas
Monmore: Barnfield Barra – Trainer Kim Billingham, Owner Mr N Parkes

The connections of the winning greyhounds are invited to attend the presentation events at their respective racecourses. The celebrations will include a table for four in the restaurant, marking a perfect occasion to honour the achievements of these magnificent athletes.

Paul Illingworth, Head of Stadia – Commercial, remarked, “These awards not only highlight the excellence within the sport but also the strong community and passion that drives it. We look forward to another thrilling year of greyhound racing.”

Dogpeople podcast

Author and playwright Louise Powell has been in touch asking us to highlight her podcast series: Dogpeople
She said: “. . it tells the history of the independent greyhound racing scene in County Durham through the words of the people who were part of it. The series traces the origins of flapping through to its heyday and decline, and the subsequent shift to licensed greyhound racing.
“I wrote and narrated the series, which is audio edited by Bridget Hamilton and features interviews with lots of County Durham’s dogmen and dogwomen.
“There are 8 episodes in the series, 6 of which have been released, with the remaining episodes to be released on Saturday 1st June and Saturday 8th June.
“The podcast series has been funded by the Arts Council as part of a broader project which includes a Community Exhibition and QR Code Story Trail about flapping, a blog and a publication.”

Opens

Thursday: Hove ♦  Swindon

Friday: Romford ♦  Towcester

Saturday:   Central Park  ♦  Doncaster   ♦  Monmore  ♦  Towcester

Sunday:   Sheffield