Oaks decision confirmed
Confirmation has arrived regarding the Oaks decision, with Kevin Hutton receiving acknowledgment today that Mick Freshwater's Jet Stream Angel had won last year’s Oaks after the disqualification of No Rush. Despite the delight in being awarded the race and prize money, Kevin was quick to acknowledge that it wasn't the ideal way to secure his fourth Oaks: “It is disappointing all round, isn’t it? It’s not what anyone wants.
“We had heard rumours some time ago, but when we got paid, we assumed that everything was okay. We forgot all about it until I saw your last little bit last night; that was the first kind of semi-official thing. Then we were copied into the press release that went out from the GBGB today.”
On a more positive note, Kevin reports that BGBF Puppy Cup winner Moments Of Magic, from the fabulous litter that included Cat One winning ‘Signet brothers’ Denver, Otis, and Goofy, is heavily in whelp to Good News. Meanwhile, her sister Sleek By Design, the winner of the staying open at Oxford last weekend, is now in season and on her way to Ireland to be covered by Dromana Bucko.
‘Please rethink’ says Tom
With just three days to go before the Ladbrokes Winter Derby Final, trainer Tom Heilbron is urging sponsors Ladbrokes to reconsider their future open race planning.
He said: “I would be very surprised if there are six better dogs in this year’s (English) Derby Final than those running on Saturday. They are six exceptional greyhounds. So why run the race without a crowd and no atmosphere in the afternoon? It is such a shame. These are the sort of events that greyhound racing should be all about.”