A plan is in place to save the British Bred Derby
Towcester has stepped forward with a plan to save the British Bred Derby which was in danger of not being run in 2025.
British Bred Derby could be saved
Towcester is set to replace the Stud Book Trophy with the British Bred Derby for an end-of-season British-bred showpiece.
Pending GBGB approval, the Northamptonshire venue - which changes hands next week with new promoters Orchestrate Ltd taking over at the home of the English Greyhound Derby - will resurrect the British Bred Derby and kick it off with heats over 500m on Sunday, December 7.
The semi-finals would then take place on December 14 and the £10,000 final on Sunday, December 21, across the dates originally planned for the BGBF Stud Book Trophy.
Towcester chief executive Richard Thomas said: “Everything still needs to be agreed by the GBGB and the BGBF but it could be the answer to a situation which has developed in recent weeks.
“It looked as if the British Bred Derby had been lost this year, but replacing it with the Stud Book Trophy is certainly a viable option for us and hopefully helps the situation.
“We’ve already thrown our hat into the ring for the Produce Stakes in 2026 and are keen on staging what is an important British-bred event here shortly.
“Again, to reiterate, this all needs agreement from the relevant parties but Towcester wants to be the new home of British breeding and our thanks must go to Peter Harnden, one of our trainers but also the GBGB’s Trainers’ representative, for his help here. “He’s done a lot of work behind the scenes.”
