Monmore counting down to Trainers' Judgement Night
Trainers' Judgement Night is on Thursday, June 18 at Monmore with the track already counting down the weeks with their opens reverting to Thursday nights after the Ladbrokes Puppy Derby.
Thursday opens back at Monmore
Monmore racing manager Tony Williamson says the whole track was buoyed by Saturday's Ladbrokes Puppy Derby meeting - and has confirmed the Wolverhampton venue's regular open races will now revert to Thursdays in preparation for Trainers' Judgement Night in June.
"Saturday was fantastic across the board with a brilliant Ladbrokes Puppy Derby winner in Underground Gold and well done, incidentally, to Paul Young and Underground Greyhounds, the winning syndicate. They're a great bunch with some very familiar faces involved, which is great.
"They tell me Underground Gold is now likely to head to the Derby and you can't blame them. He lacks experience but lacks nothing in pace - Saturday was the fastest time ever clocked in a Monmore Puppy Derby final which counts for plenty and he's a real star of the track.
"Our opens now revert to Thursdays as we count down to Trainers' Judgement Night on Thursday, June 18, with the top six trainers from last year invited to be involved in what is always a superb night. Last year at Perry Barr it went to the wire - the last race - before Mark Wallis won.
"No doubt Mark will have a strong team again, but our own Nathan Hunt pushed him close last year and Nathan looks set to provide plenty of local interest here when he takes his chance again," added Williamson.
Mark Wallis and Nathan Hunt aside, the other top six handlers from 2025 invited to participate in the six-race, six-trainer shootout are Patrick Janssens, Kevin Hutton, Maxine Locke and Tom Heilbron.
"Trainers' Judgement Night comes after the Derby but I'm sure all the trainers involved will have an idea of their teams in the coming weeks and we're expecting them to be in touch for trials down the line," added Williamson.
Should any handler withdraw, an invitation will be extended to seventh-placed Paul Young and then Richard Rees, eighth in the Trainer of the Years standings in 2025.
