2026 Coral Gold Collar final

Gold Collar finalists 

It's a good quality field heading to the 500m traps at Hove on Sunday afternoon for the final of the Coral Gold Collar. It's a Category One I have a soft spot for after my early days at Catford, won in 1999 by Rio Scorpio for Danny Riordan who passed away yesterday. The 2026 field contains a former Derby winner to really add some interest to the contest. 

1 - Droopys Plunge - Patrick Janssens - The Three Tall Men Syndicate - 2/1

The 2025 Derby winner has returned to the track in great shape this autumn, winning three of four starts at Towcester before heading to the south coast. He was very briefly the track record holder over this 500m trip in the opening round of this competition last year, and has shown again this time around how well suited he is to this track.

He only went under by half a length in the semis to Bikini Bullet when drawn to her outside. The draws are reversed now, finding himself in the red jacket from where he won his opening round heat and also the same slot that he exited from when he won the Derby.

2 - Forgottotellya - Mark Wallis - MWD Partnership - 11/2

Consistency has been an issue for the Towcester 460m track record holder so far in his career but he has put in two similar efforts to land both his heat and semi of this competition to add to a 500m success at Towcester and make it three wins on the bounce for him.

He has some early pace to help him out but he faces a very tricky draw here with the two favourites to lift the title on either flank. There is little doubt that he has the class to be a Category One winner but it might need to be in a race where the draw has worked out a little kinder for him.

3 - Bikini Bullet - Belinda Green - Messrs Boyle, Ratnasothy, Tubman & Williams - 5/6

Early pace is the name of the game here, showing bundles on a regular occasion throughout her career. That pace combined with enough stamina to not only get home over 575m around Romford to land the Coral Coronation Cup but also to set a new track record there, is a potent mix.

Two starts in a row she clocked 28.85 over this track and trip, a time that sets a clear standard in this field. If she can come away and get across, she is deserving of her place at the head of the market, and can pick up a second Category One title. If she happened to miss it, however, she could be in trouble. 

4 - Droopys Graph - Ricky Holloway - Mr R Cearns & Mr R Holloway - 20/1

Probably doesn't have the early gears to cause the favourite too many problems on the run to the bend but he does move left towards the rails. Is capable enough of some early pace but it is his stamina that he is better known for over this distance.

Was well regarded when with Patrick Janssens earlier on in the year, considered as a Derby hopeful. He only made the third round there but was an Arc Kent Plate finalist prior to that and only missed out on a spot in the Coral Sussex Cup final here by a length. No back number if the cards dropped right despite his price. 

5 - Romeo Tomcat - Patrick Janssens - Mr D Firmager - 8/1

A fifth Category One final for Romeo Tomcat, showing some of the best form of his career at this time last year. He landed the Premier Greyhound Racing Kent Derby final in October before making this final, sent off the 1/2 favourite after a couple of spectacular runs of 28.76 and 28.80.

He has been a fair way off that sort of pace in the competition so far but he shaped as if he is building to a bigger run with his semi-final win. With four railers inside of him, he has the potential to get a decent run around as long as he is able to beat trap six to the punch as he did in the semis. Potentially overpriced at the odds from an each way perspective. 

6 - Lincoln Impact - Michelle Brown - Mrs M Brown, Messrs Clark, Donovan & Walker - 50/1

The outsider of the field but he's a good advertisement for the Michelle Brown kennel with another Category One finalist on what has been an excellent year for the team. On his two runs in this competition, it is going to take a lot for him to take home this prize but you have to be in it to win it and he has put himself into the final. 

He is a dog with a 23.78 Romford on his card as well as a 28.86 at Central Park so he is more than capable of producing some smart times, though they have generally come at a lower level than this one. 

Conclusion

This boils down to one question, does Bikini Bullet ping the lids or not? If she does then she is going to be a very hard dog to hold, a superb performer on the bunny and on the clock, she is a very deserving favourite to land her second Category One prize of the year. If she doesn't come away, then there are two big hounds inside of her heading into the opening bend.

We all know that Droopys Plunge is capable of, the 2025 Derby winner doesn't need to prove anything to anyone and this is a draw that suits him well. He is more than capable of trapping with anyone, though he then does need to hold his position around the opening two turns before staying on. A draw between the two favourites looks potentially fraught with danger for Forgottotellya which is going to make things tough. 

The interesting one at a bigger price has to be Romeo Tomcat. He is a regular in these Category One finals, the winner of the Kent Derby last year in the autumn, and he was sent off favourite for this final last year. A strong runner over this distance, he will need no second invitation if there is trouble on his inside. to swoop around them in the manner he did in his semi-final success. He is a big player at an each way price. 

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