Monmore ready for its big night

The Ladbrokes Gold Cup and Summer Stayers Classic – each worth £10,000 to the winner – reach their conclusion this evening and are the headliners on a full card of quality Open races.

A big crowd is expected at the long-standing Wolverhampton circuit, which also plays host to the £1,500-to-the-winner Peter Billingham Memorial and Vixon Contracts Ltd trophy finals tonight.

Paul Mason, stadium manager at Monmore, said: “It’s a fantastic card, one of the best I can remember here in recent years.

“Of course, we’re really looking forward to the two Category One finals. We always enjoy this night, having two major events come to a head at the same time, and we should have lots of racegoers here to enjoy the action up close.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to wish the connections of all of tonight’s finalists the very best of luck. May the best greyhounds win.”

The Summer Stayers final is the first up of the two major finals (8.47pm), with many punters considering it to be a shootout between Mark Wallis pair New Destiny and Vhagar.

New Destiny runs from trap one while Vhagar is out in five – both greyhounds having won in the first-round heats and the semi-finals.

Antigua Kestrel (Kevin Hutton), Gary The Arb (Belinda Green) and Clona Ice (Brian Fairbairn) have also caught the eye over the past couple of weeks, though.

Gary The Arb has found notable success at Monmore in the past, finishing second in the Ladbrokes Winter Derby earlier this year, and is worth keeping an eye on for this 630m affair.

Wallis was due to have three finalists but Bombay Nutty has been withdrawn lame, so it is now a five-runner race.

In the Gold Cup, former boxer Glenn Foot looks to land a knockout punch with Jacktavern Chief who enters as the favourite.

The Pelaw-based handler’s two-year-old has shown great track craft to record consecutive victories in recent weeks but success tonight is certainly not straightforward.

Headford Dane (Maxine Locke) won Monmore’s Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby back in March and put in a stellar display to win in the semi-finals.

Ardera Sam (Frank Bryce), Avarua Zlatan (Richard Rees) and Gingers Prince (Patrick Browne) will battle for supremacy on the inside – the latter winning the Oxford Pall Mall recently.

Armagh Daithi gives Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) champion trainer Wallis hope of landing both finals having also ran superbly to win his semi-final last weekend.

As well as having tonight to look forward to, Monmore also have a flagship Bank Holiday Monday meeting coming up to kick off the GBGB’s National Greyhound Week.

General admission is free for all the family with a face painter, ice cream van and retired greyhounds from Greyhound Trust Wolverhampton on hand from 1pm before the first race at 2.23pm.

Mason added: “It’s an exciting time for us. We look forward to putting on some enjoyable occasions for both our loyal customers and greyhound racing newcomers alike as we offer free admission throughout this year’s National Greyhound Week including our night meetings on Thursday August 28th and Saturday August 30th.”