Friday night doubles for Paul Burr, Dave Lee and Tom Heilbron

Romford doubles for Paul Burr and Dave Lee

It has been an excellent start to 2026 for the Paul Burr kennel. Bacon Burrger was named Graded Greyhound of the Year for 2025 and a Romford double on Friday night made it nine open race winners through the first two months. Consistency has been key for the team in recent years, notching up 38 open race winners in 2023, 40 in 2024 and 39 last year. 2026 looks set to blow those tallies out of the water.

Swift Agile got the ball rolling for them in a 575m contest. She was in A10 grade back in late September but things have gone brilliantly since, working her way up the ladder, winning 10 of 24 in that time and six of her last nine. 

The double was completed by Obi Kenoby who showed no ill effects from a rough ride last Saturday at the track. He missed the kick but paced up to put himself in a position to slip up the inside when there was a little trouble out wide, and once he hit the front, he was never going to be for catching. 

Dave Lee was the other trainer to pick up a pair of winners on the card, with just two spots covering the pair of them. Our Bob was marginally the quicker of the two, overcoming what had looked a tricky draw on paper for the wide runner starting in the white jacket. His early pace quickly made light work on the draw.

Jacko was the other winner for Lee, sharply out the boxes, he made all of the running. Beaten in the heats last week, his quicker exit saw him comfortably reverse that form. He has now won four of his seven starts, with plenty more to come. His dam is a litter sister to Derby winner Gaytime Nemo. 

Quickest of the winners over 400m on the night was Michelle Brown's Pro Parker. The three time Category Two finalist (one time winner) was picking up his 13th open race success over track and trip, showing the best early gears in the lineup to get himself to the front early. 

Over six bends it was Nathan Hunt's Mad For Cash who went quickest. The three-quarter sister to Mad For Stirling is almost made for this track given how well her older sibling has done here, and she clocked an impressive 35.07 for a career-best performance. 

A 3.61 split set Silver Bucks up for another open win, never for catching off that sort of sectional for Katie O'Flaherty. He has enjoyed a hugely successful last three months, winning eight of his last 13 starts. This completed the second hat-trick of wins in that time, with six of those eight wins coming in opens, the other pair in A1 company.

Paul Young kicked the opens off with a wide-margin win for Bombay Buck. He was another on the card who quickly put himself in pole position with a slick exit from the traps, eventually running out a five and a quarter length winner.

The final race on the card went to Royal Hotshot for John Mullins. Just a short head separated the first two home, with the winner getting on top late on making her one of very few on the card who didn't have always led as part of their race comments. 

Heilbron doubles up at Sunderland

Romeo Alonso caused a bit of a surprise turning over his short-priced kennelmate Ballymac Sargie in the stayers event. The wide runner was away and gone which saw him avoid the trouble on his inside to give Tom Heilbron his first winner on the card.

His second came from Singalong Rex who won a heat of a sprint competition. It was the more competitive heat at 5/2 the field but his early gears saw him pick up the lead early on and that was one that he was never giving back.

The first heat of the sprint was the quicker of the pair, with Ted Soppitt's Sunnyside Ted emerging victorious. The pup had his trapping boots on to clock a very smart 15.50 ahead of his kenenlmate Sunnyside Jayden.

Sole Focus is enjoying a great time of things at present, picking up his seventh win in his last nine starts for Debbie Calvert. His 27.11 winning time was less than two lengths off the fastest of the year so far. 

Raymond Hale picked up the other open on the card with Blackhousewalton. A short head separated the first two home with just a neck back to the third in the most competitive finish of the night.