BALLYMAC TAYLOR heads into Sunday’s rematch with reigning champion Bubbly Inferno as the fastest heat winner as the Time Greyhound Nutrition-backed marathon showpiece kicked off at Towcester at the weekend.

The 942m eight-bend annual is one greyhound racing’s most famous events and a rare double winner could be in the offing after Paul Young’s Bubbly Inferno scored a heat one victory on Sunday to make the final, where the Romford bitch will lock horns once again with Ballymac Taylor in the £15,000 shootout.

The pair have had two match races at Romford – both won by Ballymac Taylor – plus finished first and second in the TV Trophy at Oxford last year in which Bubbly Inferno scored a popular win. So the stage is now set for Sunday’s final, with the added ingredient of another impressive heat winner in Mongys Wild.

“It’s a great final and we’re all looking forward to it,” said Andy Lisemore, Towcester’s racing manager. “Sunday’s heats had some great stories. Ballymac Taylor back to her best having won the Dorando Marathon here last year on Derby final night and her kennelmate Mongys Wild stepping up in trip for the first time.

“I thought Mongys Wild won his heat really well and certainly handled the extra distance. Then there’s Bubbly Inferno. She’s not had a lot of racing in the last year, so maybe there’s more to come and you sense she’ll have a say at some point in the race.

“Fair play also to David Lewis. He continues to get a good tune out of his littermates Alright Gordy and Patricia, while Dan Brabon will have been delighted with the way his Swift Delta kept on well against Bubbly Inferno in the heats.

“It’s a good final and we’re proud here at Towcester to be staging the TV Trophy again – it’s been a few years – and Sunday should be another cracking afternoon’s racing here.

“There’s a buzz about the place just now.

“We’re looking ahead to the (Star Sports/TRC) Derby and have started fielding more and more enquiries about trials – and the Irish invasion has already started! Paul Hennessy’s team have been booked in for trials.

“There’s definitely an excitement about this year, especially since the news broke about the first prize being kept at £175,000 this year.”

For the record, the Mark Wallis-trained Bubbly Taylor surged to the front on the second circuit in heat one on Sunday and raced away, pulling ten lengths of nearest rival Alright Gordy (David Lewis) by the line in a standard-setting 58.01sec (normal).

The latter edged out the always-handy pair of Magical Luna (Kim Billingham-Hine) and Droopys Flotilla (Nathan Hunt) to claim the qualifying position.

The victory completed a Mark Wallis heat double after up-in-trip Mongys Wild maintained his impressive UK record of six wins from seven starts with an authoritative display, coming through powerful before halfway before stretching out for a three and a half length victory over Alright Patricia (David Lewis) and staying-on Ower Smasher (June Harvey).

The winning time was for Mongys Wild was 58.31sec (normal).

Bubbly Inferno kept a grip on the trophy Paul Young’s bitch won last year with a narrow success over Swift Delta in heat one.

Last early, the Romford raider made steady headway before grabbing leader Swift Delta (Dan Brabon) approaching the penultimate bend and then did enough to hold that rallying rival by a short-head in 58.50sec (normal).

Trap draw for the Time Greyhound Nutrition TV Trophy Final: 1 Mongys Wild, 2 Swift Delta, 3 Bubbly Inferno, 4 Ballymac Taylor, 5 Alright Gordy (w), 6 Alright Patricia (w).