No Better Feelin, trained by Monmore's Chris Fereday, set the pace with the fastest time in the semi-finals of the Arena Racing Company Puppy Cup at Sunderland on Friday night. The Wearside venue is preparing for a special meeting next week, featuring the final of the Puppy Cup, a Category Two event over 450m.
The Puppy Cup final will be supported by the BGBF Harry Williams Blue Artisan British Bred final. The meeting is dedicated to the late Harry Williams, a legendary figure in the sport who played a crucial role in maintaining greyhound racing at Sunderland and Newcastle when both tracks faced threats from developers 20 years ago.
In honour of Harry Williams, all races at the meeting, except for the £7,500-to-the-winner Puppy Cup final, will be named after runners associated with his long career in the sport. The event is planned to commemorate Harry Williams’ significant contributions following his passing last year. The Harry Williams Memorial Trophy, also featured on the card, will become an annual event.
Friday’s heats of the BGBF Harry Williams Blue Artisan British Bred, also contested over 450m, saw victories from Kevin Ferguson’s littermates Acomb Irene (26.94 seconds) and Acomb Johnny (26.87 seconds), along with Stuart Ray’s Blackhouse Alan (27.09 seconds).
No Better Feelin set the benchmark in the first semi-final of the Arc Puppy Cup, displaying a powerful performance. Chris Fereday’s runner overtook track mate Newinn Souly, trained by Kim Billingham, before finishing ahead of Tom Heilbron’s Untold Ruble with a winning time of 26.76 seconds.
The second semi-final was claimed by Phil Milner’s Keefill Maverick, who navigated a troubled run with a burst of speed into the third bend, securing a win by over two lengths against Droopys Extragud (trained by Heather Dimmock) and Newcastle’s Slingshot Ali (trained by Brian Fairbairn) in 26.99 seconds.
Trap Draw for Friday’s Finals:
Arena Racing Company Puppy Cup:
- No Better Feelin (Chris Fereday)
- Keefill Maverick (Phil Milner)
- Untold Ruble (Tom Heilbron)
- Droopys Extragud (Heather Dimmock)
- Slingshot Ali (Brian Fairbairn)
- Newinn Souly (Kim Billingham)
BGBF Harry Williams Blue Artisan British Bred:
- Blackhouse Alan (Stuart Ray)
- Witton Margaret (Jill Sutherst)
- The Bulldog (Paul Lithgow)
- Acomb Irene (Kevin Ferguson)
- Acomb Johnny (Kevin Ferguson)
- Romeo Cypher (David Mullins)