Pup idol goes like a Bullet for £20k
One of the most breath-taking Puppy Derby finals in the competition’s storied history saw Bradys Bullet dramatically land this year’s £20,000 prize at Monmore Green.
The Belinda Green-trained dog finished brilliantly to narrowly beat both Cooliogold (Maxine Locke) and Links Maverick (Tom Heilbron) in a pulsating race at the Wolverhampton track on Saturday night.
For large parts it looked to be between Cooliogold and Links Maverick for the prestigious crown – dating back to 1943 – but Bradys Bullet spectacularly surged through the middle to land the spoils in a photo-finish, clocking a time of 28.19secs.
Delighted trainer Green said: “All the time we’re improving as a kennel and big races like this are what the sport is all about.
“To have a puppy of the class he is, he never gives up. It’s a really, really good occasion and great to win. It means the world.”
While Green, based at Hove, took the spoils in the night’s main event, home trainer Paul Sallis had plenty to cheer as Crokers Brandy clinched the inaugural Jim Woods Memorial Trophy.
Ran in honour of the former Monmore racing manager, Brandy entered the 630m event as the favourite after a stunning 10-length victory in the heats the weekend prior – and he did not disappoint in the final.
This time around, the October 2020 dog prevailed by three lengths over nearest challenger Bombardier (Mark Wallis) to claim the £1,500 winners’ purse, in a time of 37.79secs.
The other of the night’s three finals saw Hawkfield Ozark – the Patrick Janssens-trained dog who reached the Ladbrokes Winter Derby final earlier this month – just beat kennelmate Romeo Salvo to the punch in the Ladbrokes.com 480.
Another highlight on a high-quality evening of racing saw Pepinthestep (Wallis) comfortably run out victorious in the Ladbrokes.com 480 Bitches event.
Monmore stadium manager Paul Mason said: “It’s been a busy period hosting both the Winter Derby and Puppy Derby finals within the space of a few weeks, and both have proven to be really successful.
“Congratulations again to all the connections of Bradys Bullet having won a thrilling final, which is surely among the very best in Puppy Derby history.”
