Aero Sacundai sets track record

With thousands gathered at Towcester for the English Greyhound Derby final last Saturday, the Monmore-based Sacundai grabbed the spotlight with a sensational victory in one of the supporting races on the card.

A scorching 15.35-second run saw him blow away his rivals in the Hope Jeal Sprint Trophy showpiece and break the track’s 270m record.

It is another huge achievement in the young career of Sacundai, who reached the Ladbrokes Winter Derby final at Monmore in March and unofficially smashed the 210m record in Wolverhampton with a lightning trial a couple of weeks ago.

Taberner, who also had Aero Pattika and Crossfield Larry win Category Three finals at Monmore last weekend, said on Sacundai: “It was a fabulous night for the kennel and amazing night for the connections.

“He’s a fast dog – everyone can see that – and he’d been cramping up, so me and Jo (Slater, assistant trainer) decided to give him a few months off. We’ve had to completely change his diet.

“The dog is just crazy hyperactive. He’s in hunting mode and pulling on the lead when you walk him, so we’ve just let him mature.

“Big credit to Jo, she looks after him day-to-day and has calmed him down.

“We brought him back after four or five weeks of galloping, and he unofficially knocked a couple of lengths off Larry’s track record at Monmore.

“We won on Derby final night with Aero Arran last year and it’s where you want to be, it’s amazing.

“We snook through in the heats with Sacundai, and then he won the semi – we knew he had as soon as the lids went up.

“As soon as the lids went up in the final, too, we knew nothing was going to catch him over a sprint. It’s a great buzz for the owners and for the kennel.”

Sacundai has been running in sprints since returning to action and shone with his exceptional trapping ability, but the plan is to step him back up to four bends with big competitions on the horizon.

The prestigious Pall Mall at Oxford is the next target while Taberner also has an eye on the Ladbrokes Gold Cup, which begins next month at Monmore alongside the Ladbrokes Summer Stayers Classic.

“The dog himself, he just needed to mature. He did well to get to the final and he proved he can run from trap one,” added Taberner. “He can stay the four bends, especially as he’s maturing now. We’ll be going for the Pall Mall at Oxford with him, and if he stays that well, we’ll have a crack at the Gold Cup.

“There’d be no better feeling than winning a Category One at your home track.”