Ernie flies high one more time after bringing up his century

It was a fitting end to a remarkable and emotional career as Flyhigh Ernie won his 100th and final race at Monmore Green.

The Richie Taberner-trained greyhound is owned by John and Nick Allen, the chairman and vice-chairman of Southern Premier Central side Rushall Olympic.

Named after Nick’s late nephew, Ernie, who sadly passed away at five months old from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the Pics duo have closely followed the dog’s career at the Wolverhampton circuit from start to finish.

The whole family including baby Ernie’s mum and dad, Sam Allen and Lee Bryan were on hand to witness the four-year-old sprinter’s last race which saw him triumph over the 264m sprint and get presented with a special 100 Up Club jacket afterwards.

“The dog and the name are highly personal and highly symbolic,” said Nick Allen. “The dog is absolutely loved by everybody and had a great career, winning 21 of his 100 races.

“He’s very special. We’d always be at the track to watch him race, and to all be there as a family to see him win his final race was amazing.

“We wanted to keep him in the family once his racing career was over. He’s finished on 100 races in good health, and now he’s at home with Sam, Lee and the twins, Nellie and Stanley.

“It’s been a rollercoaster. Ernie has been a great dog, really made his mark at Monmore, and now made the family complete.”

Ernie’s racing career lasted two-and-a-half years, with his first victory coming in March 2024 and the milestone 100th race taking place on Saturday September, 5.

Taberner, who is based in Wombourne, says training the greyhound was a real privilege.

“John and Nick, and the whole family, have been fantastic and a pleasure to have around,” said Taberner. “Ernie was such a character here at the kennels, very fond of the ladies, and for him to go out with a win was very special.

“He’s now at home with the family while John and Nick also have Aero Deploy who won for them this week.

“Ernie was an absolute pleasure to train. Thank you to the family for trusting us with him as we wish him a happy and healthy retirement.”

Taberner, meanwhile, has Countess Penny running in the £10,000 BGBF 80th Two-Year-Old Produce Stakes final at Towcester tomorrow afternoon (4.28pm).

He hopes her success is the sign of things to come with more home-bred pups coming through.

“We’ve got a lot of pups coming through, so hopefully there’ll be more of them having success just like Countess Penny,” added Taberner. “We had Aero Clipper finish third in the British Bred Puppy Cup final at Dunstall Park back in July as well.

“Countess Penny has got a tough draw out in trap four, and she will have a lot to do to win from there, in truth. For us, getting to the final is like winning the competition, so anything else from this point is a bonus.

“We’ll enjoy the afternoon and, of course, be cheering her on – she’s done brilliantly to get to this point.”

Also at Towcester tomorrow, three Monmore raiders compete in the £3,000 Northampton Sprint showpiece (3.51pm). Newinn Souly (Kim Billingham-Hine), and Longacres Trixie and Longacres Miss (Pat Doocey) go for glory in the Category Two event.