Monmore treble for Wallis + Winter Derby trial session

Wallis take Monmore plaudits with a hat-trick 

Monmore had some excellent opens on last night with Ballinakill Liam starring for the Mark Wallis team. He extended his perfect record in sprint opens at the track to six, clocking 15.21. His best in 2025 was 15.03 in the height of summer, just a length off the long-standing track record set by Jetharts Here in September 2007.

Rackethall Brute scored the quickest time over 480m on the evening, producing a 28.26 run. He got a beautiful tow into the race from Ballybough Nutz and once he got to the front, he careered away to win by four and three-quarter lengths. 

Wallis's other winner on the night came from Bombay Nutty over 630m. The opening round of the Regency back in July was the last time that he got his head in front, so it will have been a welcome return to the podium for him. 

There was a quickfire double on the card from Maxine Locke, taking out the final two races with Jacktavern Don and Yahoo Maizy. It was the latter who was the quicker of the pair, the 2024 English Puppy Oaks winner needing all of the 480m to pick up Zebedee Cluasa who had just snuck around in front.

Jacktavern Don was also late to pounce with his win. The Puppy Collar finalist has enough speed to win around Romford in sub 24-seconds but enough stamina to get the job done over this longer trip from off the speed. 

Nathan Hunt added his name to the winners with Droopys Flotilla. A prolonged battle with kennelmate Intriguing Iris almost softened the pair up for the late challenge of Kevin Hutton's Jet Stream Jane, but the Hunt pair did enough to land the forecast with a head and short head separating the first three.

It was Richie Taberner's Aero Boris who produced the quickest of the three 630m runs on the night, however. A top grade winner over both trips at this track, his most recent open race success had come over 750m at Romford back in July.

One other open on the card was a sprint contest which went the way of Kim Billingham-Hine's Catchem Boyo. He worked his way up from A5 to A1 at the track but is now 2/2 since dropping back to two bends.  

Winter Derby hopefuls take a Monmore spin

There are still three weeks until the opening round of the Ladbrokes Winter Derby but a trial session on Thursday gave an early indication that the quality of the event is going to be as high as ever.

Santas Amigo really hit the heights in the autumn, landing a pair of Category One events in the Premier Greyhound Racing Classic and All England Cup. He impressed in a 28.18 look for David Mullins.

Ballymac Buddy is one of our five greyhounds to follow this year, producing an identical split time to Santas Amigo. He fell away on the clock from there but he is a youngster with only two starts in his career, so it is all still a learning curve for him at the moment. 

Droopys Deploy won the Arena Racing Company Northern Puppy Derby last February for Robert Gleeson before making the final of the Kirby and then the Irish Derby. Now in the care of Jason Heath, he showed up well on his first look at the track, a little over three lengths adrift of the time set by Santas Amigo.

Over sprints, the eye was drawn to Turnthemagicon. He showed in the Peter Billingham Memorial Trophy last August what speed he possesses, winning the final in 28.17. It will be interesting to see if he can add a little more stamina to his brute speed this year now that he is a little older. He would be a serious Cat One player if he can.

Longacres Hottie is one to keep in the notebook for Pat Doocey. She was the second quickest of the year over Newbridge's 575y trip in 2025, and is going to need plenty more distance than a sprint trial was able to give her yesterday.

Armagh Daithi made the finals of both the Arena Racing Company Laurels and the Ladbrokes Gold Cup in 2025, the latter at this track. He once more showed his liking for Monmore in a decent sprint trial ahead of the Winter Derby which starts on February 7.