Candolim Monsoon began his Coral Sussex Cup defence in spectacular fashion with a remarkable comeback in heat three at Hove on Saturday. Previously sidelined and seemingly retired due to injury, Derek Knight’s champion was meticulously brought back to peak condition by the Hove handler and his team. Despite drawing a challenging midfield position in the renowned 515m event, a rapid start allowed the September 2020 son of Magical Bale to quickly move to the rails and lead throughout.
Recording a time of 29.84 seconds for the four-bend race, Candolim Monsoon emerged as the fastest of the six £10,000 Coral Sussex Cup heat winners. This annual event coincided with the heats of the £20,000 Premier Greyhound Racing Regency over 695m.
Romeo Command, trained by Patrick Janssens, also made a notable return to the track, winning major races following an injury hiatus. He delivered an impressive performance in the opening heat, clocking 28.96 seconds, as he dominated from the start and finished ahead of Paul Young’s Miami Bullet. Romeo Command recently placed second in the 2023 English Derby and triumphed in the BGBF TruFrame Champion Stakes at Towcester.
In heat five, Droopys Clue, the reigning Greyhound of the Year, surged to the front on the final bend to secure victory. The anticipated showdown with Coronation Cup winner New Destiny fizzled out early when New Destiny faced crowding and failed to advance to Saturday’s semi-finals. Nevertheless, Seamus Cahill’s powerful Droopys Clue remained a constant threat to front-runners Clona Uriel (Derek Knight) and Uncle Freddie (Richard Rees), seizing the lead when the chance arose and finishing in 30.16 seconds.
Other heat winners in the Sussex Cup included Derek Knight’s Newinn Benni (30.00 seconds), who secured a double win for the local trainer before Candolim Monsoon’s triumph. Additionally, Hove trainer Belinda Green achieved a Sussex Cup double with runaway winner Wasted Monday (30.01 seconds) and Beaming Panther (30.31 seconds), the latter narrowly defeating the persistent Newinn Syd (Mark Wallis) by a neck.