Two of Monmore Green’s most prestigious and lucrative competitions will take place on Saturday mornings this year, the track has confirmed.
The Ladbrokes Winter Derby – for which the final takes place next month – and March’s Premier Greyhound Racing (PGR) Puppy Derby showpiece will both be staged in the stadium’s new Saturday AM time slot.
Monmore is hosting Saturday morning and evening double-headers as part of its TV coverage moving to the PGR service and general admission to those Category One Open competitions, due to feature some of Britain’s best greyhounds, will be free.
The Winter Derby heats will begin on February 3 before the £10,000 final on February 7.
The Puppy Derby follows shortly afterwards, getting under way on March 16 before the £20,000 main event on March 30.
Tony Williamson, Monmore’s racing manager, said: “It’s our first time hosting such high-quality events of a morning and we’re very much looking forward to seeing how this year’s events go.
“Both the Winter and Puppy Derby were brilliant competitions last year, with Patrick Janssens’ Coolavanny Shado excelling in the Winter before Belinda Green star Bradys Bullet had a thrilling last-to-first victory in the Puppy final.
“We’re excited to be hosting morning races again after many years and will also be holding minor Opens in our Saturday AM time slot, with the first Open races of 2024 coming next weekend.”
