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Greyhound News: Soppitt's dogs clock fastest times North and South

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Bubbly Totti was the fastest greyhound at Wimbledon on Saturday night and he will have to keep his speed up when he goes head to head with Lenson Joker on Friday.

Ted Soppitt, the Durham-based trainer, cannot have had many better nights than Saturday.

Represented in the heats of the St Leger at Wimbledon with Bubbly Totti, he also sent out Droopys Kez for the semi-finals of the Northern Puppy Derby at Sunderland.

Both won, but both also clocked the fastest times with Bubbly Totti's 40.93sec the best of Wimbledon's eight heats and Droopys Kez stopping the clock in a fast 26.86sec. Droopys Kez is now favourite for the final of the puppy event, which is the centrepiece of Sky's next greyhound coverage, at Sunderland on Thursday.

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Friday sees the second round of the St Leger when Lenson Joker, who has been favourite for the Stayers' Classic for a long while, takes on Bubbly Totti.

Flying Winner, who might be vying for Greyhound of the Year honours with Lenson Joker and, possibly, Boherna Best, goes against Irish raider Droopys Arsene in her second round heat.

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Paul Sallis had a red-letter day at Hall Green on Friday. He won both finals, the £15,000 British Breeders Forum Produce Stakes and £2,000 Wafcol Midlands Oaks.
Bomber Blue finished best to claim gold in the main event, while Klockwork Kyla also came again to collar favourte Blonde Fern to win the bitches' stake.

Sallis also supplied other winners on the card including Hillcross Hobbs.

Sallis feels he could be a Derby dog next year, but in the meantime was celebrating a double triumph at his local track. His partner Esther Driver also bred the Produce champion.

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Over £7,000 was raised for the Kennelhands' Dinner and Dance at Harlow on December 7 at a recent benefit meeting at Wimbledon.

Formerly held at the Starlight Rooms in Enfield, and then an Essex hotel for two years, tickets for the dinner and dance are subsidised for kennelhands, who also receive cash prizes on the night.

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Pat Buckley, out of luck with Slip The Lark in the Irish Derby when he was edged out by Shelbourne Aston, has guided the same dog to a place in the Irish Laurels final at Cork this Saturday.

And the Keith Allsopp-owned runner goes to traps against last year's runner-up Tyrur Laurel, among others, with a kennel in tip-top form, Buckley's Droopys Noel having won the Irish Puppy Derby at Harold's Cross on Friday.

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Boherna Best, winner of last week's Laurels at Belle Vue, heads next to the All England Cup at Newcastle where he will attempt to register a third Category One event of 2008, having also plundered the Midland Gold Cup at Monmore.

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Geordie Parker could be in line for a surprise return to big-race competition in the upcoming All England Cup at Newcastle.

Trained now by his breeder Jimmy Fenwick and owned by Scott Fraser, the 2006 All England Cup winner (he also won the Yarmouth Derby the same year) has been kept to sprints and veterans' contests since his comeback from retirement.

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Me Buddy continues to prove a real money-spinner, adding the Fengate Collar to the Peterborough Puppy Derby he won at the same track in May.

It was another success for the Matt Dartnall camp after big-race wins this year with the likes of Me Buddy, and the Ballymacs Ruso and Under.

The final meeting at Reading is on Saturday.The lease held by Gaming International on the Berkshire track, owned by the local council, has run out.