Craig is Monmore racing champion

Marston – who heads up the Mo Cara Racing kennels – takes the prestigious title, having had the most winners at the stadium throughout the year.

Precisely 352 dogs trained by his team were victorious in graded races over the course of the year, and he is keen to continue the momentum over the next several months.

“I came to Monmore as a trainer four years ago, having been a trainer for five,” said Marston.

“We’ve always been local – this has been my home track for the last 20 years.

“We really put the effort in this year and let the dogs do the talking for us.

“This was always one of the goals, and there’s more to come.

“We’re really pleased, and I couldn’t have done it without the team behind us.

“Everybody has had the ambition to drive forward and be successful, so it would be great to carry on where we have left off now.

“We also got a track record in 2022 elsewhere, with Elite Dan setting a new 262m record at Swindon, so it would be nice to go out there again and prove we can do it at Monmore and beyond.”

Marston, who previously worked as a special needs teaching assistant, joined Monmore in 2018 with a small kennel of dogs and has gone from strength to strength in that time.

His first winner of 2023 came on Wednesday afternoon as Sporty Popeye prevailed in a 480m A5 race.

Racing manager Tony Williamson added on Marston: “Craig has done so well to achieve the great honour of becoming Monmore Green champion trainer 2022.

“A local lad, Craig had a fantastic grounding in greyhound racing, learning from some of the best trainers in the Midlands.

“Craig would later take a greyhound trainers licence at Perry Barr before the chance came to join Monmore in 2018 with a small kennel of dogs.

“Craig continued to improve, showing great professionalism and determination, and with a fantastic team of staff, family and greyhounds, he was able to become champion trainer.

“We would all like to congratulate Craig and his team and wish them further success in the future.”