PROPER HEIRESS saved the best for last when returning to the scene of one of his major triumphs in heat six of the Coral Sussex Cup at Hove on Saturday.

On a night his trainer Mark Wallis landed a five-timer with four heat winners also in the co-supporting Premier Greyhound Racing Regency on a major double-header at the seaside track, last year’s Coral Olympic champion looked back to his best with a standard-setting all-the-way victory over the big-race trip of 515m.

Bounding to a 4.37sec sectional, the Ladbrokes Winter Derby and Time Greyhound Nutrition Juvenile winner raced to the front approaching the first bend and was never headed before crossing the line three and a half lengths clear of Missile One (Seamus Cahill) in 29.69sec (normal), comfortably the quickest of the six Sussex Cup heats.

Victory for the long odds-on Proper Heiress proved to be just one of two successful favourites in the four-bend heats, which kicked off with a brace of 33-1 winners!

First up was the June Harvey-trained Ower Mystery who was always in command off a 4.37sec split and kept his rivals at bay, crossing the line a length and a quarter ahead of Derby semi-finalist No Better Feelin in 30.28sec (normal).

Then Ricky Holloway’s Dazl Hermes landed another 33-1 surprise when making all in heat two, another 4.37sec sectional setting up a length and a quarter victory over King Memphis (Liz McNair) in 30.30sec (normal).

The latter, a multiple Category One winner including the 2023 Coral Olympic at Hove, was making his long-awaited comeback to the track.

King Memphis’s litter sister Queen Shakira, the Brighton Belle third, then notched a victory for the family when winning heat three – albeit only just.

Pacing up to lead at the bend along with Romeo Tomcat (Patrick Janssens), Liz McNair’s bitch used to the inside line to take control. However, Romeo Tomcat was always thereabouts with Gary The Arb (Belinda Green) finishing best of all to split the pair on the line, Queen Shakira winning by a short-head and the same in 29.96sec (normal) in the race of the night

Slick Sentinel (2-9F) continued his fine run of form with a comfortable win in heat four for Patrick Janssens, his 4.35sec sectional the fastest of the night on his way to a two and a quarter lengths win over Ballymac Axel (Maxine Locke) in 29.97sec (normal).

There was a 14-1 surprise landed by Derek Knight’s Mossrich Kylie in heat five as the local runner, representing the winningmost Sussex Cup handler, escaped the pack early with a smart turn of early pace (4.38sec sectional) before hitting the line a length and a quarter in front of the staying-on Chelms Bear (Craig Morris) in 30.17sec (normal).

Rob Abrey, Hove’s racing manager, said: “As was the case in the Regency heats, the Sussex Cup heats threw up a whole heap of stories.

“It was good to see Proper Heiress back to his Olympic-winning form and it’s great we’ve got the last two winners of that event in the event – and it was good to see King Memphis make it through to the semi-finals. He’ll surely improve for his comeback.

“Having two 33-1 winners – Ower Mystery and Dazl Hermes – and a 14-1 winner – Mossrich Kylie – suggests it was tough for punters, but I’d say that these are really good local greyhounds with plenty of wins here during their careers but whose chances were massively underestimated. Their supporters probably couldn’t believe the price!”

Form and trap draw for Saturday’s semi-finals: https://imminent-otter.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/results/Brighton-Hove/form-guides/Saturday-26-7-25-advance-form.pdf