Droopys Flotilla set to command her own fleet after retirement
Nathan Hunt has announced that his consistent stayer Droopys Flotilla has been retired after breaking into season ahead of her what would've been her final race this weekend.
Picture from Monmore Racing Office X feed
Droopys Flotilla has been retired
Droopys Flotilla has been retired to the breeding paddocks after being withdrawn in-season from Saturday's final of the Arena Racing Company Stayers Trophy at Dunstall Park.
Nathan Hunt's ultra-consistent bitch had won her heat of the 660m two-run event at last week's dual raceday at Wolverhampton racecourse and Saturday's Category Three final was always intended to be her swansong. Saturday’s win now means she bows out on a winning note.
A superbly-bred August 21 daughter of Out Of Range ASB and Droopys Natalia, Droopys Flotilla is a litter sister of 2023 GBGB Greyhound of the Year Droopys Clue and Droopys Fidget, a Steel City Puppy Derby and Waterford Select Stakes winner.
"The Dunstall Park competition was always going to be her last and we've just had to make a decision a few days earlier," said Hunt, who said the bitch's owners - Patrick Huckle, Paul Allen and Tom Sinclair were keen to breed with her given her pedigree. Droopys Flotilla is also a half-sister of the likes of Derby quarter-finalist and Winter Derby runner-up Droopys Aladdin.
Always a player in the major six-bend competitions, Hunt singled out her narrow second to Garfiney Blaze in the 2024 George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial at Hove as a race to remember - albeit with mixed feelings.
"We all thought she'd won it," said the Monmore handler. "She ran brilliantly that night and was only just caught on the line. In the stands they were convinced she'd won it was that close.
"But wherever she went she gave it her all. She won at a whole host of tracks, won some great races, reached some good finals, and was one of the stars of the kennel. She'll be a great mum in time and the way she's bred you've got to be excited by the pups to come."
A winner of 22 of her 66 starts in the UK having made her debut for Hunt at Sheffield in April 2023, Droopys Flotiila won at Suffolk Downs, Crayford, Monmore, Hove, Central Park, Dunstall Park and Nottingham, where she set a track record over 680m in November 2024. She also gained maximum points for trainer at Trainers Judgement Night at Perry Barr last year.
