Droopys Clue Dominates in St Leger Opener
Droopys Clue kicked off his Premier Greyhound Racing St Leger title defence with an outstanding and commanding win in the penultimate heat of Stayers’ Classic. Despite heavy rain causing Perry Barr's 12-race card to finish over an hour late, the reigning champion made a powerful statement.
A delay midway through the meeting didn’t dampen the excitement for the six St Leger heats, nor the six heats of the M Lambe Construction Birmingham Cup, held in memory of Michael Lambe Senior. Those in attendance witnessed an exceptional display of front-running as the current Greyhound of the Year took control early in heat five.
Seamus Cahill’s greyhound, Droopys Clue, broke fast and took charge from the outset, extending his lead as the race progressed. He ultimately secured a remarkable victory by 15 and a quarter lengths, finishing ahead of Diane Henry’s Clona Curly in an impressive 42.74 seconds on slow ground over the 710m distance. Other St Leger heat winners included John Flaherty’s Greenwell Ange (43.29sec), Tom Heilbron’s Toddys Thunder (43.39sec), Paul Donovan’s Tuono Bella (43.79sec), Diane Henry’s Savana Jackpot (43.39sec), and local favourite Hurry Up Jordan (44.22sec), trained by John Lambe.
In the Birmingham Cup heats, Kevin Boon’s Bockos Thunder posted the fastest time, finishing strongly to beat Nathan Hunt’s Cunnigar Yousir in 28.14 seconds over the 480m trip, earning a spot in next week’s semi-finals. While conditions worsened as the night went on, there were still standout performances from other heat winners. Matt Dartnall’s Long Fellow, runner-up in the BetGoodwin Pall Mall, took control after the second bend to edge out local contender Ballycleary Ten in heat four, clocking 28.77 seconds. This race saw the elimination of pre-race favourite Links Maverick, who encountered early crowding. Other Birmingham Cup heat winners were Brian Thompson’s Aghaburren Beau (28.66sec), Nathan Hunt’s strong finisher Untold Paanga (28.40sec), John Mullins’s late surge from Ayamza Sydney (28.44sec), and Robert Hall’s local hope Darley Diglake (28.40sec).