Morning slot for showcase events
Two of Monmore Green’s most prestigious and lucrative competitions will take place on Saturday mornings this year, the track has confirmed.
The Ladbrokes Winter Derby - for which the final takes place next month - and March’s Premier Greyhound Racing (PGR) Puppy Derby showpiece will both be staged in the stadium’s new Saturday AM time slot.
Monmore is hosting Saturday morning and evening double-headers as part of its TV coverage moving to the PGR service and general admission to those Category One Open competitions, due to feature some of Britain’s best greyhounds, will be free.
The Winter Derby heats will begin on February 3 before the £10,000 final on February 7.
The Puppy Derby follows shortly afterwards, getting under way on March 16 before the £20,000 main event on March 30.
Tony Williamson, Monmore’s racing manager, said: “It’s our first time hosting such high-quality events of a morning and we’re very much looking forward to seeing how this year’s events go.
“Both the Winter and Puppy Derby were brilliant competitions last year, with Patrick Janssens’ Coolavanny Shado excelling in the Winter before Belinda Green star Bradys Bullet had a thrilling last-to-first victory in the Puppy final.
“We’re excited to be hosting morning races again after many years and will also be holding minor Opens in our Saturday AM time slot, with the first Open races of 2024 coming next weekend.”
Monmore was today hosting its first Saturday morning meeting since the move to PGR, a full graded card, while tonight has another 12 graded races.
Race five this evening is a top-grade sprint and features the in-form Trubbys Cal, trained by Patricia Cowdrill, who steps up to D1 after a win and three seconds from her last four D2 outings.
Craig Marston’s Summer Swirl, in trap six, has three wins from her last four races, however, including an Open race at The Valley.
An A1 follows that race and includes the Brian Thompson-trained Stouke Salah – one of the track’s top performers in 2023 – along with Pat Doocey pair Longacres Baboo and Longacres Storm.
Marston’s Whisky On Ice looks to continue the excellent start to his career in race nine, having had seven wins and three seconds from just 12 starts while Whisky Georgia – who won Monmore’s first race of 2024 on Monday afternoon – is out in the night’s final race.
