Monmore dog is sparkling in Derby

The biggest prize in British greyhound racing, Sparkle has made it through three rounds at Towcester in recent weeks as the £175,000-to-the-winner event has been whittled down from 192 dogs to just 24.

She is the only Monmore-based greyhound still involved and hopes to defy the odds once more this evening as she runs from trap five in quarter-final four against a field that includes competition favourite De Lahdedah.

It is the furthest esteemed trainer Billingham has ever got in the Derby, and she said on Sparkle’s remarkable journey: “She’s given herself a great chance in every race so far by trapping well and getting in the mix early on – not leaving herself too much to do.

“She found a little bit of trouble last weekend but came through it and held on for third, which we were all delighted about.

“We know she may not be the quickest in the competition, but it’s all about qualifying and making it through the rounds – and she’s done incredibly to make it to the quarter-finals.

“We’re all so proud of her. She’s exceeded all our expectations. Of course, we were hopeful of getting through one or two rounds, but this journey has been a fantastic experience.

“It’s lovely for Mark as he’s owned greyhounds with us for many years – and the all the other owners in the kennel have been looking out for her.

“We’re in a group chat and they’ve been sending lots of supportive messages to me and Mark, which is lovely.

“We’re hopeful going into the weekend again but there’s no pressure on her at all, so it’s a nice position to be in.

“She’s been in brilliant shape, done so well, and we’ll see what this weekend brings.”

Kim and Mark had entered both Sparkle and Beatties Electra and while the latter was unable to progress past the first round, Sparkle has gone from strength to strength. Mark always felt she had the potential to upset the apple cart, too.

“We’ve had dogs 27 years. Me and my brother, Richard always went racing growing up – and we’ve been with Kim for the last 10 years,” he said. “Sparkle was bought at the Oxford sales in September 22, we got her for a modest price. It took her until her 16th race to get a win, a graded race, but since then she’s never looked back.

“She’s won 14 from 66 now and along the way got to the quarter-finals of the Puppy Oaks, the semi-finals of the 3 Steps to Victory, the Summer Stayers Classic semi-finals and the Empress final.

“We went for the Derby as it’s a strong 500m and with her typically running 630m at Monmore, we thought it might suit her. We’ve been blown away with how she’s done.

“We knew she wouldn’t be the outsider she appeared to be on paper as she’s a real determined runner. She may not be the best at one particular thing, but she does everything well and she’s consistent.

“In 27 years of owning greyhounds, we’ve never had a runner get past the first round of the Derby, so we were over the moon to just get through the first round – let alone into the quarter-finals.”

Mark added: “She’s been the outsider in every race, but she doesn’t know that.

“She’s a dream to own and in the form of her life, at her absolute peak. The excitement has been off the scale. Having a dog in the quarter-finals of the Derby, considering all the quality Irish dogs who come over as well, shouldn’t be possible for owners like us, but we’ve done it. It’s a dream come true.”

Several Monmore greyhounds head to Towcester this weekend for competitions which will conclude on Derby final night in a few weeks.

Among them is the Richie Taberner-trained Aero Sacundai, who runs in the Hope Jeal Sprint Trophy tomorrow having unofficially broken a track record at Monmore in midweek.

He ran a 210m solo trial in a lightning 12.17 secs on Wednesday, with kennelmate Crossfield Larry – also involved in the Hope Jeal event – having clocked 12.34secs in a race to set a new record last September.