On the 5th of December, the BGBF Derby began at Owlerton Stadium in Sheffield. The cat 1 race rewards £10,000, a jacket and a trophy to the winner, with £1000 going to second place and £500 to the others. This year, all six heats were five dog races, with a lack of wide runners. This didn’t seem to affect the crowd however, with both the snack bar and the outdoors packed with passionate owners and racegoers alike.
The competition was heavily dominated by Elizabeth McNair’s king and queens, and Kevin Fergusons unbelievable Acomb Litter. The McNair family entered the competition with four runners, and have made it through to the second round with all four. Two of these dogs, King Sydney and King Capaldi are from the same litter, Droopys Sydney x Queen Beyonce (Dec 21). King Capaldi was the quickest dog of the competition, recording a time of 28.66.
Kevin Ferguson however, entered with six dogs, all of which made it through to the semi-finals. That in itself is a brilliant achievement. However, it is even more impressive when you realise all six dogs were from the same, six dog, litter. To get a whole litter to the semi-finals of a competition is unbelievable. Acomb Jasper, Mabel, Johnny, Felix, Alfie and Irene are all from the Hiya Butt x Acomb Ruby March ’21 litter.
Heat 1
The competition began with a very equal break. King Sydney showed some great early pace going into the first bend, and from there there was no catching him! Trap 4, Acomb Jasper was close behind after also showing some early but Sydney’s lead was too far for him to catch up. Deanridge Linxs was in third throughout, and looked to potentially qualify, however the Sheffield trained Some Planning in trap 3 slid past it on the home straight to take the final qualifying position. Wolf moon in trap 5, didn’t feature much in this race, however he did finish the race by a distance.
1st: Trap 2, King Sydney (28.89)
Owned by K.S.S. Syndicate & Trained by Elizabeth McNair (Central Park)
2nd: Trap 4, Acomb Jasper (29.12)
Owned & Trained by Kevin Ferguson (Kinsley)
3rd: Trap 3, Some Planning (29.33)
Owned by Mr.B.J.Mooney + Mr.M.J.White & Trained by Barrie Draper (Sheffield)
Heat 2
Heat 2 appeared to be the battle of the J names, with Queen Joni and Acomb Johnny battling it out for the winning spot throughout. Acomb Johnny in trap 5 was extremely quick away, showing some great early pace. However on the first bend the 2/15 favourite Queen Joni in trap 1 established her lead, and maintained it for the rest of the race! Behind the pair throughout, was trap 2, Trickysteddybear, who looked to be in a great position to achieve the third qualifying position. However, trap 4, Greenwell Ange gave a strong final push to take third place on the line. The John Flaherty trained bitch didn’t trap the best, and remained at the back of the crowd by many lengths, so to qualify third is truely a great achievement.
1st: Trap 1, Queen Joni (28.72)
Owned by K.S.S. Syndicate & Trained by Elizabeth McNair (Central Park)
2nd: Trap 5, Acomb Johnny (28.97)
Owned & Trained by Kevin Ferguson (Kinsley)
3rd: Trap 4, Greenwell Ange (29.02)
Owned Mr.J.Flaherty + Mr.R.Innes & Trained by John Flaherty (Unattached)
Heat 3
The third of the six heats began with trap 5, Fearsome Enigma securing a early lead, after being extremely quick away. This was challenged throughout by Acomb Felix, but there was no catching the Newcastle trained dog Trap 4, Greenwell Grace was the slowest away, and then got bumped on the first bend, by trap 1, King Styles, diminishing their chances of qualifying. Savana Top Cat and Acomb Felix battled it out for second place, with it being extremely close on the line, but it was the top cat who was victorious, achieving the second qualifying place.
1st: Trap 5, Fearsome Enigma (28.98)
Owned by Five Alive Syndicate & Trained by Tom Heilbron (Newcastle)
2nd: Trap 2, Savana Top Cat (29.03)
Owned by Mr.K.A.Boothby & Trained by Chris Hamblin (Oxford)
3rd: Trap 3, Acomb Felix (29.08)
Owned & Trained by Kevin Ferguson (Kinsley)
Heat 4
Heat 4 began with a bump from the traps between trap 3, Fearsome Quest and trap 4, Sirdar. Into the first bend, Acomb Alfie powered round, achieving its ever-growing lead. Behind him was the Sheffield trained Some Effort, in trap 1, who was then followed by traps 3 and 4 (who bumped again on the first bend), with Greenwell Halle in the back. These standings remained the same until the third bend, where Sirdar dropped to the back of the field allowing Greenwell Halle to power past trap 3 to achieve the third qualifying position.
1st: Trap 2, Acomb Alfie (28.83)
Owned & Trained by Kevin Ferguson (Kinsley)
2nd: Trap 1, Some Effort (29.14)
Owned by Mr.B.J.Mooney + Mr.M.J.White & Trained by Barrie Draper (Sheffield)
3rd: Trap 6, Greenwell Halle (29.25)
Owned by Mr.J.Flaherty + Mr.R.Innes & Trained by John Flaherty (Unattached)
Heat 5
Heat 5 began extremely messy, with trap 1, King Justin and trap 2, Fabulous Sonique bumping out the traps. Into the first bend there was a lot of trouble, with traps 2, 4 and 6 involved. Acomb Irene avoided this trouble well and flew into the lead, with King Justin and Fabulous Sonique behind. Fabulous Sonique managed to pass King Justin going into the third bend, and from there the standings remained the same.
Trap 4, Deanridge Twowon and Trap 6, Watchhall Sid were the worst affected by the trouble, however they both went on to finish the race by a distance.
1st: Trap 3, Acomb Irene (28.98)
Owned & Trained by Kevin Ferguson (Kinsley)
2nd: Trap 2, Fabulous Sonique (29.18)
Owned by MWD Partnership & Trained by Mark Wallis (Suffolk Downs)
3rd: Trap 1, King Justin (29.56)
Owned by K.S.S. Syndicate & Trained by Elizabeth McNair (Central Park)
Heat 6
The final heat was the quickest of the night, with the winning greyhound, King Capaldi, recording a time of 28.66. The race began with a relatively even break, with traps 1 and 2 potentially bumping out the traps. Into the first bend, King Capaldi and Signet Goofy battled it out for the lead, it was Capaldi who came victorious however and lead throughout. There was a massive gap from the lead 2 to the rest of the crowd, with it being extremely close between them for the final qualifying place. Acomb Mabel led the group, however Wildcat Joe was hot on its tail. Witton Venus in trap 4, gave a final attempt on the bend to qualify, but it was Acomb Mabel who took the final qualifying position.
1st: Trap 2, King Capaldi (28.66)
Owned by K.S.S. Syndicate & Trained by Elizabeth McNair (Central Park)
2nd: Trap 6, Signet Goofy (28.86)
Owned Mr.L.W.Calcutt + Mr.C.J.Waters & Trained by John Mullins (Yarmouth/Towcester)
3rd: Trap 1, Acomb Mabel (29.50)
Owned & Trained by Kevin Ferguson (Kinsley)
Semi-final Draws
The semi-Finals will take place at Owlerton on the 12/12/23. The winning 2 greyhounds from each semi-final will qualify for the finals on the 19/12/23. The draws can be seen below.
As mentioned before, through to the semi-finals, are 6 dogs from the Kevin Ferguson kennel. That in itself is a brilliant achievement, but it is even greater when you realise they’re all from the same litter! Acomb Felix (Semi-Final 1), Acomb Irene + Johnny (Semi-Final 2), Acomb Alfie, Mabel + Jasper (Semi-Final 3). Incredible to see a full litter through to the semi-finals of this competition.
Semi-Final 1
In the first Semi-Final, Acomb Felix and Fabulous Sonique were the best drawn in traps 1 and 2 respectively. Greenwell Halle, the sole wide runner, also got her ideal trap, running out of trap 6. The newcastle trained Fearsome Engima runs back out of trap 5 and has the greatest sectional out of the group, recording 4.13 in the heats. This could help secure him a spot in the finals. Queen Joni also features in this heat, coming out of trap 3. She recorded a time of 28.82 in the heats, making her one of the fastest dogs in the competition. If she can repeat this, she should easily secure her spot in next weeks finals.
Semi-Final 2
This semi-final is one full of kennelmates, with traps 2, 3 and 4 being trained by Central Park trainer Elizabeth McNair, all 3 dogs have Droopys Sydney as a sire. Trap 5 and 6, Acomb Irene and Acomb Johnny are from the same litter, Hiya butt x Acomb Ruby, and are trained by Kinsley based Kevin Ferguson.
Semi-final 2 could become quite messy on the bends, with 4 of the 6 runners wanting the rail. The quickest dog of the competition so far, King Capaldi features in trap 3. This is a trap wider than he was in the heats, but with a sectional of 4.18 it shouldn’t be an issue, and he should avoid any potential trouble on the bend. In trap 2 again is King Sydney, this trap could work to his advantage as long as he avoids trouble, which should help his chances of qualifying for the final. Some effort, trained by Barrie Draper, runs back in trap 1. He ran well in the heats to qualify, so it will be very interesting to see how he gets on in this semi-final
In last semi-final, traps 1-6 are all fairly slow away, and all have around the same sectional. This could work in Signet Goofy‘s favour. He is drawn back in his ideal trap, trap 6, and had a sectional of 4.16 in the heats. If he can repeat this, he should secure his spot in the semi-finals. The second qualifying spot could go to anyone, the other 5 dogs all ran quite similar. However, out of these 5 dogs, Acomb Alfie in trap 2 recorded the second best time of this semi final, 28.96. This could help him secure a spot in the finals.
