Action-Packed Sunday Delivers Thrilling Greyhound Racing Heats

A bustling Sunday of greyhound racing saw the start of three major Category One competitions. Crayford hosted the heats for both the Jay & Kay Coach Tours Gold Collar and the Ladbrokes Grand National, while Towcester took centre stage earlier in the day with six heats of the English Puppy Derby.

The standout performance at Towcester came in heat five, where Ballymac Kobe, trained by Maxine Locke, built on his previous week's trial success. Leading from the start, he finished nearly six lengths ahead of Con Condon’s Bombay Bingo, clocking a blistering 28.88 over the 500m distance—the fastest time of the day.

Maxine Locke enjoyed further success as Ballymac Blanco claimed victory in heat two. Setting the pace early, he edged out Jimmy Fenwick’s speedy Skeard Josie, completing the lap in an impressive 28.99.

In heat one, Roy Peckham’s Winscale Wonder matched Ballymac Kobe’s swift sectional with a 4.08 split, securing a commanding win in 29.10. Other notable victories included Mark Wallis’s Newinn Cloud in heat four (29.02) and Paul Young’s Bombay Birch, who delivered the second-best time of the day with a 28.92 finish in heat six.

However, heat three had to be voided when the hare was stopped for safety reasons. As a result, Farneys Mate, Thor Odinson, and King Jackson will progress to the semi-final draw, set to take place this Sunday at Towcester.

With fast-paced action and top performances, this thrilling Sunday sets the stage for an exciting next round in these prestigious greyhound racing competitions.