Star puppy March On Freddie broke the Nottingham Stadium track record when qualifying for the JenningsBet Puppy Classic final which takes place on bank holiday Monday.
David Mullins’ September ’22 dog stopped the track’s 500m clock at 29 seconds exactly to book his spot in next week’s £12,500 final which includes Rioja Bungle, Droopys Extragud, No Better Feelin, Kilgarran Jay and Blackhouse Kim.
It happened 1,913 days after Patrick Guilfoyle’s Skywalker Logan clocked 29.05 in the opening round of the 2019 English Greyhound Derby – a competition he finished third in.
Watching from afar was March On Freddie’s owner George Watson, who has already made plans with family to be trackside on final night.
“I was quietly confident he had broken the track record at the end of the race,” said George. “He broke well and as the race went on, he just pulled further clear.
“He couldn’t have done much more and we’re all very happy with the run.
“We’ve reached category one finals before, but never been lucky enough to win one so this would mean a lot to us. It’s why you purchase dogs of such quality, because you want to be involved in these types of competitions.
“He’s been the best performing greyhound in the competition, but we’ve won nothing yet and we have five other high-quality dogs to beat before we can think about winning.
“Plenty of us will be making the trip to Nottingham from London so we’re hoping he does the business.”
Finishing behind March On Freddie in semi final three was Kevin Hutton’s Rioja Bungle.
Owned by greyhound enthusiast Paul Woodburn, Rioja Bungle has already tasted success this year when scooping the BGBF Maiden Derby at Newcastle in May.
Despite starting the race as an underdog, Paul will bring a coach load of friends from his home county Oxfordshire to Nottingham for the night.
He said: “(Rioja) Bungle improves for every race. It’s obvious March on Freddie has been the standout performer, but you’ve got to be in it to win it – and we’re in it.
“I bought him after hearing he’d been clocking some good times schooling at Bicester which isn’t far from where I live. We travelled 30 hours door-to-door to watch him in each round of the BGBF Maiden Derby at Newcastle which he won.
“A coach load of us from Oxfordshire will be trackside – we can’t wait.”
Admission for the 2024 JenningsBet Puppy Classic is free for all racegoers who book in advance and pay on the door. Doors open at 5.30pm with the first of 12 races off at 6.37pm.
There’ll be special appearances on the night from legendary retired greyhound Mickys Barrett and 2018 Puppy Classic champion Blue Trooper plus one of Nottingham Stadium’s homing partners Seaside Greyhounds.
In addition to the Puppy Classic, JenningsBet will sponsor the 73rd running of the prestigious Select Stakes on the night – also worth £12,500 to the winner.
2024 JenningsBet Puppy Classic final:
Rioja Bungle, Droopys Extragud, No Better Feelin, Kilgarran Jay, March On Freddie, Blackhouse Kim.
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