Hove Racing Manager Rob Abrey delighted with opening round of the Coral Gold Collar
We spoke to Rob Abrey, the Racing Manager at Hove who was delighted at the Gold Collar entry and with what's happening at the track between now and 2026.
Hove to close out 2025 with a bang
Hove is readying itself for not just two top-class Sundays ahead with the semi-finals and final of the Coral Gold Collar, but also extensive work to the track itself.
The south coast venue will stop racing for a week straight after the Gold Collar final on Sunday, November 9, to allow for essential works to improve the drainage and running surface. Racing will resume on Wednesday, November 19.
Hove will then countdown to the start of the Coral Olympic and George Curtis and Ballyregan Bob Memorial, a Category One double-header kicking off on Saturday, November 29.
But first the Coral Gold Collar takes centre-stage at the Sussex circuit, and the event got off to an incredible start on Sunday with Proper Heiress clocking a 28.57sec new track record in winning his heat after Droopys Plunge (28.69sec) equalled the previous best held by Candolim Monsoon. Romeo Tomcat (28.66sec) later also went under the old mark.
“We were always hopeful of making some headlines once the entries came through,” said Hove racing manager Rob Abrey. “To say it was a strong entry was an understatement, like saying Geoff Capes lifted a few things! “There was a phenomenal amount of talent entered and they did not disappoint. In fact, for a first staging of the competition here at Hove it has certainly caught the imagination.
“Derby winner Droopys Plunge set the tone for what was to come when equalling the track record in the first heat with a sizzling front-running display, but that mark lasted just under an hour when Proper Heiress backed up his excellent trial last week to break the track record himself by 12 spots.
“He’s definitely a potential Greyhound of the Year and kept up his love affair with us here by making it an incredible seven wins from seven, and that includes running unbeaten through Coral Olympic and Coral Sussex Cup! “He’ll be looking to make it three major wins here I’m sure on Sunday week, if coming through his clash with Droopys Plunge on Sunday, of course!
“Mention should be made of (Premier Greyhound Racing) Kent Derby winner whose own 28.66sec probably went under the radar after Proper Heiress’s record. “He was stretching his own unbeaten run to nine, going under the previous track record. A great run.
“It all means the bar has been well and truly set heading into the semi-finals, a bar so high that even Armand Duplantis might struggle with!
“All the semi-finalists deserve to be there and anything can still happen, but that first semi-final alone is worth making the journey down to Hove for with Droopys Plunge and Proper Heiress taking each other on.
“Finals day on Sunday, November 9 which will hopefully go with a bang of the non-fireworks variety. That’s why we’ve gone for Sunday afternoons at this time of year, which then leads us into the next chapter of Hove with the work on the track.”
