Greyhound News: Final crowns up for grabs as sport nears year end

Greyhounds News / Editor / 22 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

All the sport's talking points in one place.

Flying Winner and Meenala Amy have emerged as contenders for Bitch of the Year in what will be a new award at next month's GBGB Awards in London.

TV Trophy champion Flying Winner landed her end-of-year target, the Ted Hegarty Marathon at Harold's Cross on Friday, while Meenala Amy was crowded a Classic champion with her victory in the Oaks at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

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Horseshoe Ping emerged as a serious rival to Boherbradda Mac for the Sprinter of the Year title by swooping late on to land the National Sprint title at Nottingham on Monday. Drink Up Zorro capped a fine year for Paul Sallis when holding on to land the Winter Derby at Henlow the same night.

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Bob Morton, the owner of most of the Westmead dogs in the modern era, is the new part-owner of Henlow after purchasing a half-share in the Bedfordshire track. The multi-millionaire businessman is most famous in greyhound circles for owning two-time Derby champion Westmead Hawk and invested in Henlow on the advice of his trainer, Nick Savva, whose youngsters are taught their trade at the grass-roots venue.

It is the intention of Morton, who becomes chairman, and general manager Kevin Boothby to change people's perception of Henlow with a series of investments and the upgrading of racing there. Incidentally, the Winter Derby final takes place their tonight (Monday).

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Betfair and other betting organisations will consider filling a void in Sky's greyhound coverage after Monmore's decision not to have the Midland Puppy Derby as part of the channel's 2009 schedule. It leaves a space for another major event to be broadcast.

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A marquee has been erected on the old track at Walthamstow for a Christmas religious celebration. Cameras from greyhound racing's magazine programme 'The Dogs' showed workmen erecting the structure this week, the marquee sitting in the middle of the track.

"It's quite surreal seeing all the facilities pretty much there," said one source. "I suppose while the tractors have made a right mess of the track itself, the stands are still in place. It's not like Catford which was bulldozed, but then again that still remains an empty piece of land."

Discussions between the owning housing association and an American company believed to be interested in reopening the Chingford Road venue for racing have been set for the new year.

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Sheffield has beaten Perry Barr and Wimbledon in the race to host the Betfair Trainers' Championship meeting.

The live-on-Sky fixture, which sees the top six in the Trainers' Championship compete for a lucrative first prize, will be staged at the south Yorkshire track on March 17. The meeting will see each trainer field a runner in eight races, with the competition decided on a points basis.

If the current standings do not change in the remaining days left of 2008, the competing six trainers will be Mark Wallis, Seamus Cahill, Charlie Lister, John Mullins, Barrie Draper and Pat Rosney.

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The race to be Greyhound of the Year will be decided on January 25 at an awards ceremony in London. Votes are now being cast by the members of the Greyhound Writers' Association on all the categories, including four-bend dog of the year, British-bred dog of the year, sprinter and marathon dogs of the 2008. Boherna Best, at [1.75], is favourite for the top honour.