Regal conclusion to the year for King Memphis, who clinches the GTV/GWA Greyhound of the Month award King Memphis secured the GTV/GWA Greyhound of the Month award for December following his triumph in the end-of-season Coral Olympic at Hove.
Owned by Brendan Keogh and the KSS Syndicate, and trained by Liz McNair, King Memphis, the December 21 home-bred son of Droopys Sydney and Queen Beyonce, added to his RPGTV Puppy Derby success at Towcester by dominating the final at the Sussex track, leading a top-class field to victory.
In the vote for the award, determined by members of the Greyhound Writers’ Association, King Memphis outshone fellow Category One winners Droopys Clue (Seamus Cahill), the George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial winner, and Swift Silly (Harry Burton), the Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup heroine.
Other contenders for December’s award included National Sprint victor Bombout Bullet (Belinda Green), Bet365 Challenge Cup winner Havana Top Note, and British Bred Derby champion Queen Joni, the latter two being kennelmates of King Memphis.
Clive Lawrence, executive producer of award sponsors GTV, remarked, “Given the way Liz and Rab McNair finished the year, it seems right that one of their big end-of-year winners, King Memphis, won the award – and he looks a top-class Derby contender.”
“We saw him progress at Oxford in the Puppy Collar and then really come of age in the Puppy Derby at Towcester. The Olympic win was very much the icing on the cake against all-aged rivals, and the final at Hove was easily one of the best of the year.”
Hove racing manager Rob Abrey, overseeing the gala meeting at Hove that included both the Coral Olympic and George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial finals, expressed that King Memphis thoroughly deserved the monthly award. He noted, “King Memphis was brilliant in the Olympic against some great rivals. We had high hopes for our own Hollow Man and Wasted Monday, and the likes of Newinn Syd also brought big-race form to the table, but the younger King Memphis wasn’t going to be denied.”
“I also thought Memphis’s brother King Combs, who finished third, showed what a great 2024 he might also have, but you’d say the major four-bend races, including the Derby, will be very much on the agenda for King Memphis. Well done to him, the McNairs, and the KSS Syndicate – they have a brilliant year.”
*Time Greyhound Nutrition will now sponsor the Greyhound of the Month award in 2024.
GWA chairman Jonathan Hobbs expressed gratitude to RPGTV/GTV for their support of the award in recent years and welcomed Time as the new backers of an award deemed crucial for owners and trainers.
Willie Rigney from Time Greyhound Nutrition said, “Myself and John (Fox), who run Time, are delighted to support this award in the UK. We have a great relationship with a number of trainers in the UK, as well as in Ireland, and feel this a natural step for us. As an owner myself, I know how important it is for owners and trainers – and the greyhounds themselves – to gain the acknowledgement they deserve.”
Burridge Trophies will provide the monthly trophies, and the GWA expressed appreciation to Mark Burridge for his support as well.