Future looking Fine Thanks to early showings

Fine Thanks was purchased by Jenkins and Brown at the Wolverhampton track’s recent Premier Greyhound Sales event which saw some of the most promising young pups from over the Irish sea bid for at auction.

The two-year-old put in both the fastest sectional and quickest time in the trials that day and having settled nicely into life at Jenkins’ Bishops Wood base since, he has won his first two races at Monmore in impressive fashion.

Depending on how the next few weeks progress, Fine Thanks could be put forward for the prestigious Ladbrokes Gold Cup which gets under way next month.

“We liked the look of him at the Sales as he ran 28.83secs, so we thought he had the potential be a top-grade dog, but we’ve even been surprised by just how well he’s done in his first couple of races,” said Jenkins.

“He came to us in very good condition, so we thought we’d try him in an Open race on Saturday June 29th, and he won by a head against some established dogs which was really pleasing.

“He then ran in an A1 on Thursday July 4th and won in 28.20secs by a few lengths, which was a fantastic performance.

“He’s a two-year-old dog and only had one puppy race in Ireland, so he’s got a lot of maturing to do. Greyhounds don’t tend to reach their peak until they’re around three, but it’s been a promising start.

“The Gold Cup will have sub-28secs dogs involved and it’s a different kettle of fish, but if he carries on the way he has been it’ll be worth a go. We’ve been delighted with how he’s done so far.”

Part-owner Dave Brown is a regular at Monmore having previously owned greyhounds at the now-closed Hall Green, near to his home in Birmingham.

The 83-year-old has shares in 13 greyhounds and makes the tram journey over to the outskirts of Wolverhampton whenever he has runners on Thursday and Saturday evenings – and always makes sure he is on the presentation photo when one of his dogs wins a trophy race.

“Dave’s been a dedicated owner with us for several years now and he loves the sport, so it’s really nice to have seen Fine Thanks make such an early impact for him as well,” added Jenkins.

“We took a bit of a gamble at the sales but it seems to have paid off so far and, fingers crossed, he goes from strength to strength for us over the next few months.”

Elsewhere tonight, some notable Monmore-based greyhounds are going for glory as the Pall Mall begins at Oxford.

Aero Sacundai and Crossfield Larry are both involved for Richie Taberner while Vixons Filofax looks to continue his fine form for Brian Thompson.