Bubbly blow as Hogan misses Derby quarter-finals
Dean runner will be back on track soon and could have Hove's Sussex Cup as possible target
Champagne Club's Fluin says everyone is "gutted"
BUBBLY HOGAN is out of the Star Sports & Orchestrate Ltd. English Greyhound Derby.
Tony Dean's runner pulled up sore after the third round and, while the injury is not deemed to be serious with the August 23 son of Pestana back on track soon with the Coral Sussex Cup at Hove a likely target, the Essex-based handler has pulled him out of the first quarter-final on Saturday. Trap five will now be vacant.
Steve Fluin of The Champagne Club, owners of Bubbly Hogan, said: "We're all gutted, not least Tony himself. It's a great achievement from a very small team - Tony only has four dogs at his kennels - and I feel for him as much as the shareholders, all 100 of them, myself being one of them.
"Hogan suffered a setback in last week's race, a knock to his front leg, and, while that's been treated and worked on, time is against us ahead of Saturday and Tony rightly felt that it would be unwise to take a chance. It's certainly not career-threatening and hopefully Hove can be on the agenda for him."
Fluin, delighted with how the Dean-trained Bubbly Evie ran in the Barking Mad Betting TV Trophy Final on Saturday behind the Paul Young-trained Droopys Rated, added: "Obviously with huge respect to Mongys Wild and wishing him a speedy recovery, it was almost a one-two for us with Paul's (Young's) Droopys Rated winning the TV Trophy and our Evie finishing second and we were so happy with her. She's a lovely bitch.
"The Club was fortunate enough to win the TV Trophy with Bubbly Inferno at Oxford a couple of years back and I suppose that's been a lucky competition for us, less so the Derby! Bubbly Phoenix and Bubbly Bluebird both reached the semis and were unlucky not to make the final - Phoenix, especially, might well have won the final.
"But we've got plenty to look forward to, so, while we're all gutted today - Tony could barely speak when he phoned me this morning - Hogan will be back in top condition within a month."
