Greyhound Of The Year Betting: Champagne celebrations for the best of 2008?

General / Darrell Williams / 23 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

The last major race of the year, but undoubtedly one of the most important, is for the honour to be crowned Greyhound of the Year, the result of which will be announced at the newly titled GBGB Annual Awards Ceremony in Central London in late January, says Darrell Williams.

Last year's Greyhound of the Year decider was one of the most exciting and fiercely fought for many years before Spiridon Louis was ultimately crowned champion.

The award is decided by members of the Greyhound Writers' Association, which as a member my vote is amongst those cast, so I'm sure you'll understand my reluctance to be too committal as regards my own views in this preview. But you can cast your own vote in a sense by utilising the market currently being traded on the outcome.

It's also worth pointing out that only the winners of each of the individual categories i.e. Standard distance (four bend), Sprinter, Stayer etc can be considered for the overall award. In other words, a greyhound that falls between two categories can find themselves at a potential disadvantage.

That's the scenario that Bubbly Totti and his legion of Champagne Club owners faced, and partly why they campaigned him in the Essex Vase to try and enhance his case in the Stayers division. Unbeaten in the St Leger, he was also runner-up in the Scottish Derby, which obviously slots into the Standard division. With the likes of Boherna Best and Loyal Honcho, who I'll come to later, with strong claims in that category, a victory in the Vase would have seriously increased his argument for the six bend vote. The fact he reached the final, and won 12 of his 15 races over the discipline still makes him a serious candidate, but obviously not as strong a one as if he'd won it.

His main rival for the Stayers prize is Lenson Joker, who at one time looked a shoo in for the category after a trio of big race wins as he sailed unbeaten through the Cesarewitch, Grand Prix (Sunderland) and Champion Stakes, during a period in which he won twelve races on the spin. If connections had called a halt there he would probably be favourite for Greyhound of the Year, but a semi-final exit in the Leger suddenly opened things up again.

Boherna Best, whose own trio of big prizes has lifted him to favouritism for the overall honour, appears the most likely recipient of the Standard award. Barrie Draper's charge has wrapped up the Monmore Gold Cup, Laurels and All England Cup this term, during a spell in which he has won eleven of his fourteen outings.

His main rival for the four bend title looks set to be Derby winner Loyal Honcho, who was also third in the Scottish version, but did not race in the country after his Classic success in late May.

TV Trophy heroine Flying Winner is sure to take some stopping in the Marathon category, with an unbeaten tally of seven from seven over eight bends, not to mention a victory in the six bend Regency, all of which will ensure she holds her own claims in the quest to be crowned Greyhound of the Year.