Greyhound News: Greyhound and Trainer of the year titles could be settled this week

Greyhounds News / Editor / 18 November 2008 / Leave a Comment

Bubbly Totti and Mark Wallis favourites for the two crowns - plus all the rest of the sport's headlines.

The 'will it, won't it' return saga of Walthamstow Stadium seems to have taken a new twist with a company, until now not in the spotlight, understood to be thinking of bidding for the site.

The land is currently owned by housing association London & Quadrant, while the adjacent car park, still owned by the Chandler family, has also recently come on to the open market.

"It remains to be seen where L & Q will sell anyway, but this possible bid has almost come from leftfield," said one source. "And while things are not rosy in the building sector, it still does raise hopes for greyhound racing re-starting.

"It's still a long shot, but it could be massive."

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Midway Skipper, the St Leger runner-up, franked the form of the stayers' Classic won by Bubbly Totti when winning an exciting Kent St Leger final at Crayford on Monday.
The lead changed a number of times but it was Henry Chalkley's home-bred powerhouse who came through to score. A daughter of a former Golden Jacket winner, Midway Tomsscout, Midway Skipper continued connections' love affair with the Kent track.

Wise Thought is a warm favourite for this week's major final, the Eclipse at Nottingham on Thursday.

Martin White's star, who won the puppy race at Wimbledon on Derby final night, has bolted home in both heat and semi-final and is currently trading at [1.57] for the £8,000 final and [1.8] to lay.

Trainer White reported a touch of kennel sickness before his Irish Derby semi-finalist contested his semi, but he powered clear. Romeo Maldini and Judicial Force were the other heat winners.

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Bubbly Totti's Greyhound of the Year credentials could be put on the line in the last major six-bend event of 2008, the Essex Vase at Romford.

The St Leger winner is rivalling the likes of Boherna Best, Lenson Joker, Tyrur Kieran and Flying Winner for the top honour, which will be known at an awards ceremony on January 25 next year.

Ted Soppitt's dog trialled well over the 575m trip and will travel down from the trainer's Durham for each of the three rounds of the competition, the heats taking place on Friday.

The Essex Vase has been won for the past two years by Eye Onthe Veto, who will aim for an unprecedented third victory in the event.

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Victory for Eye Onthe Veto would almost certainly seal the Trainer of the Year title for his trainer Mark Wallis.

Wallis, who won the 'league' in 2006, is looking to regain the title from champion trainer Charlie Lister who currently lies in second.

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Irish superstar College Causeway missed an intended engagement at Galway at the weekend. A campaign of all the major four and six-bend races in England and Ireland in 2009 is now being discussed by connections of Pat Buckley's star.

The Galway competition saw a successful return to the track of Irish Derby champion Shelbourne Aston, while Irish Grand National winner Distant Legend also showed his versatility with a heat success.

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The sport's governing body, the NGRC, is investigating allegations of fraud at Newcastle involving a member of the racing office, now suspended pending inquiries, and a former trainer.
The allegations came to light in a Sunday Times story, although the claims of any race-fixing have been refuted by the track and its current contract trainers.