Monmore Greyhounds witness Mark Wallis making history on Saturday

It was a historic evening on Saturday for Mark Wallis as Vhagar became the 100th Category One winner of his illustrious career. The Ladbrokes Summer Stayers Classic is remarkably the 11th Category One winner of the year for the Imperial Kennels maestro.

Vhagar lands the 100th at Monmore

Vhagar powered home to land the Ladbrokes Summer Stayers Classic and justify even-money favouritism in the £10,000 decider at Monmore.

Antigua Kestrel led into the first bend and cut off New Destiny in doing so, which allowed Vhagar to turn in second and give her first crack at the 33/1 outsider in front.

The Wallis inmate made her move at the fifth bend, when she hit the front and pulled well clear nicely to cross the line three and a half lengths ahead of her kennelmate New Destiny to score in a smart 37.54.

Go Commando the first for Wallis

The 2005 Gymcrack was the first with Go Commando setting the ball rolling. A spectacular run for a puppy, he was just two spots off the track record held by Farloe Verdict. 

Puppies were an excellent source of Category One winners in the early days. Five of the first 10 top table wins for Wallis came in Puppy competitions. 

• Go Commando – Gymcrack
• Fear No One – Peterborough Derby
• Ronnies Champion – Puppy Classic
• Fear No One – East Anglian Derby
• Bell Legend – Steel City Cup
• Fear Assassin – Puppy Cup
• Lethal Rumble – Grand National 
• Fear Robben – Puppy Classic
• January Tiger – Grand Prix
• Roswell Starship – Puppy Cup

Eye Onthe Veto and Kinda Ready take Imperial to new heights

While Fear No One was the first dual Category One winner for Wallis, it was Eye Onthe Veto who would carry the kennel through 2007. Three wins at the highest level in that year were all won by him, with his Champion Stakes success the last time that the orange jacket has crossed the line in front in that competition. 

2009 saw Wallis land his first Derby courtesy of Kinda Ready. A 25/1 shock at Wimbledon remains one of the biggest prices to ever cross the line in front in the biggest competition, picking up Fear Zafonic in the final strides to grab the title and Cat One number 17.

• Eye On the Veto – Essex Vase
• Eye On the Veto – Emerald Cup
• Eye On the Veto – Champion Stakes
• Eye On the Veto – Essex Vase
• Centaur Decree -Arc
• Corrig Vieri – Arc
• Kinda Ready – Derby
• Droopys Zach – Summer Stakers
• Jogadusc Ace – WH Classic
• Eye Onthe Storm – Puppy Classic 

Blonde Snapper lands Derby number two

Cat One winners 21-30 contained the height of the Blonde dogs with Fletch and Snapper combining for five wins. The biggest of those was a second English Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon for Wallis in 2012. 

• Kinda Easy – St Leger
• Eye Onthe Storm – Eclipse
• Eye Onthe Storm – Blue Riband
• Blonde Fletch – Regency
• Blonde Fletch – Grand Prix
• Blonde Snapper – WH Classic
• Aero Majestic – St Leger 
• Blonde Snapper – Golden Sprint
• Blonde Snapper – Derby 
• Lil Risky – Peterborough Derby

Wallis’s Honey proves sweet in staying races

A first Golden Jacket for Wallis came courtesy of Hometown Honey in 2014, the same year that Cornamaddy Jumbo landed the Grand National, winning hurdler of the year in the process. The Blonde era came to an end after a pair of staying successes for Regan.

• Glanmire Lad – Romford Puppy Cup
• Blonde Regan – TV Trophy
• Blonde Regan – St Leger
• Hometown Honey – Grand Prix
• Adageo Bob – British Bred Stakes
• Bridge Honcho - Eclipse
• Reel Trickyone – Essex Vase
• Hometown Honey – Golden Jacket
• Cornamaddy Jumbo – Grand National
• Casheen Maureen – ECC Timber Oaks

Patchys Kerry wins three of Wallis’s next 10

One of the most adaptable bitches that Wallis has had through his hands was Patchys Kerry. A 575m Cat One at Romford and a 714m Cat One at Crayford marked her down as a top stayer but she also won the 3 Steps To Victory which included a flying 28.49 over 500m at Sheffield. On top of that, she was also a finalist in the Puppy Derby over 480m at Monmore. 

It was Ferryforth Fran who brought up the half century of Cat One wins with her St Leger success at Wimbledon to close out 2016.

• Patchys Kerry – Champion Stakes
• Adageo Bob – Essex Vase
• Domino Storm – ECC Timber Oaks
• Patchys Kerry – Golden Jacket 
• Patchys Kerry – 3 Steps To Victory
• Billys Bullet – Regency
• Ferryforth Fran – Summer Stayers
• Clondoty Alex – EA Derby
• Rubys Rascal – Yorkshire St Leger
• Ferryforth Fran – St Leger 

Wallis firing bullets in the late 2010s

2005-2016 was the length of time for the first 50 Cat One winners of Wallis’s career. It would not take long in 2017 before the second half century got going with Clondoty Alex.

Bruisers and Bombers Bullet were two of the top dogs of the period. The pair were fourth and fifth in the 2018 Derby final behind Dorotas Wildcat. Looking back, it was a surprise that they ‘only’ won three Cat One titles between them, such was the level of ability they possessed. 

• Clondoty Alex – Golden Sprint
• Rubys Razzle – Gold Cup
• Rubys Rascal – St Leger
• Bruisers Bullet – Olympic
• Cotton Pants – Northern Sprint
• Parkers Dynamite – Grand National
• Bombers Bullet – Grand Prix
• Bombers Bullet – Champion Stakes
• Aayamza Breeze – Regency
• Aayamza Express – Champion Stakes

Aayamza Royale makes herself the staying Queen

Four Cat One wins for Aayamza Royale was part of a special era. Back-to-back TV Trophy wins were spectacular and she was half of a huge Cat One double at Hove in July 2021 when she landed the Regency on the same night that Drumcrow Brent won the final of the Sussex Cup. 

• Bumblebee Bullet – TV Trophy
• Antigua Fire – Kent St Leger
• Aayamza Royale – Cesarewitch
• Aayamza Royale – TV Trophy
• Antigua Romeo – Essex Vase
• Aayamza Royale – TV Trophy
• Bo Shine Bullet – Kent St Leger
• Drumcrow Brent – Sussex Cup
• Aayamza Royale – Regency
• Antigua Storm – EA Derby

Hopes Paddington picks up the three-quarter century

Less than six years after Ferryforth Fran brought up 50, Hopes Paddington landed the East Anglian Derby to make it 75. It is less than three years from that point to now with 100 on the board.

• Ivy Hill Skyhigh – Blue Riband
• Rail McCoy – Golden Sprint
• Blueberry Bullet – George Ing St Leger
• Antigua Sugar – Juvenile Classic
• Hopes Paddington – EA Derby
• Minnie Bullet – Puppy Oaks
• Aayamza Magic – Essex Vase
• Hopes Paddington – Blue Riband
• Antigua Sugar – Coronation Cup
• Coonough Crow – Grand Prix

Wallis with a lucky seven up in 2024

Three each for Garfiney Blaze and New Destiny saw the team pick up another 10 open race winners in short time to close the gap on a century of Cat One successes. Garfiney Blaze's second Cesarewitch win took Wallis to 90 which was on January 25, 2025. It is just seven months since that win and now the 100 is on the board. 

• Crafty Shivoo – Empress Stakes
• Newinn Syd – Eclipse
• Garfiney Blaze – Cesarewitch
• Coonough Crow – Kent St Leger
• New Destiny – Coronation Cup
• New Destiny – Champion Stakes
• New Destiny – Challenge Cup
• Garfiney Blaze – George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial
• Proper Heiress – Olympic
• Garfiney Blaze – Cesarewitch

2025 has been a record year for Wallis

This year has been an insane year, even by the high standards at Imperial Kennels. The team has been dominant in staying races, with ??? success at Monmore making it six of the nine staying Cat One races so far this year going to Team Wallis.

Mongys Wild has three of those on the board, with the St Leger and George Curtis/Ballyregan Bob still to come. Wins in the pair of them and he would be hard to beat as the Greyhound of the Year.

• Table Toppers – Blue Riband
• Proper Heiress – Winter Derby
• Mongys Wild – TV Trophy
• Proper Heiress – Kent Plate
• New Destiny – Grand Prix 
• Mongys Wild – Golden Jacket
• Fabulous Sonique – Coronation Cup
• Proper Heiress – Sussex Cup
• Mongys Wild – Regency 
• Vhagar - Summer Stayers