Heilbron triple-handed in Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup final

Heilbron fields half of the All England Cup final

The eyes of the greyhound racing world will be on Newcastle this Saturday night when it hosts the 75th renewal of the £20,000 Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup. 

One local trainer who has dreamt of lifting the trophy since he was a child has three chances of realising his ambition when traps rise shortly after 9pm. 

Trimdon-based Tom Heilbron qualified Droopys Bookem, Unanimous Leon and Toddys Tank for Saturday’s showpiece race which headlines a sparkling 13-race all open card where more than £40,000 in prize money is up for grabs. 

Lifting the All England Cup would complete the hat-trick of Category One competitions Newcastle hosts annually for Tom’s kennel. 

Pacemaker Ted lifted the Northern Flat in 2021, while Freedom Alibi and Links Maverick won the Northern Puppy Derby in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Other qualifiers include Stephen Caile’s Ballymac Briar, Jimmy Fenwick’s Ballymac Lake and Santas Amigo trained by David Mullins, who won last month’s Premier Greyhound Racing Classic at Sunderland. 

Ahead of the final, Tom said each of his runners have been granted a dream draw. 

“In a perfect world, Unanimous Leon (trap two) will be able to clear Droopys Bookem (trap one) and leave him all the room in the world on the inside so he can enjoy a clear run,” said Heilbron.. 

“The key to the race is Toddys Tank (trap five). Santas Amigo in trap six is flying and has plenty of early pace. If Toddys Tank can hold him on his outside to the turn, it could set the race up for either of our three.”

Neutrals will no doubt be cheering for Unanimous Leon to have his nose in front when it matters most. The March ’22 son of Droopys Sydney has now qualified for six Category One finals, but is yet to stand on the top of the podium when it matters most and finished runner-up behind Wicky Ned in last year’s All England Cup final.  

Heilbron said he had never cheered a greyhound to finish second so loud in his life when Unanimous Leon ran on to book his spot in Saturday’s final behind favourite Santas Amigo in Thursday’s concluding semi-final.  

“He’s the ultimate competition dog, he just never knows when he’s beaten. The 10-day break between the semi-final and final will suit him perfectly too, as he likes to run fresh.  To reach six Category One finals is an incredible achievement."

Link Kennels will also be represented in the £3,500 Jimmy Wright Future Stars Puppy Trophy Final earlier on the card by Droopys Link. 

The race is one of 10 on the night to be run in memory of former trainer Jimmy, who passed away from Motor Neurone Disease in February. It features a hot favourite, with Mark Wallis’ Strike It Skye odds-on to lift the trophy. 

Heilbron added: “He (Droopys Link) will need a bullet break, and some luck in running to win.

“All in all, it’s been a positive year. And it looks like Bower Sheeran’s second in the National Sprint will be enough for us to secure a top six spot in the trainer standings. 

“We retired Links Maverick, and as a trainer you’re always mindful how hard it is to replace greyhounds of his talent. 

“Our staff deserve a huge amount of praise for all their hard work. As for 2026, there can only ever be one goal – to win the English Greyhound Derby.”

Tickets for the 2025 Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup are available from £9 via www.newcastle-greyhounds.co.uk. The first of 13 races on the night is due off at 6.31pm.