SLIPPY MAGGIE rounded off a superb year for Hazel Kemp – and paved the way for a new, exciting era for the family’s kennels – when winning the Carlsberg Boxing Day Marathon at Crayford on Wednesday.

Shortly after the April 2016 daughter of Godsend and Mays Bodyguard crossed the line in front to take the £2,500 prize, the winning trainer confirmed she will hand over the licence to daughter Michelle (Brown) – although has no plans to hang up the leads!

“Myself and Michael (husband) just feel the time is right,” said Kemp. “Michael is a young 70, but we both need to slow down and it’s time to give the youngsters their time! But we still plan to be kennelhands for Michelle and concentrate on the open-race scene.

“The graded commitment is full on,” she added. “Like all trainers out there, Christmas can still be 5am starts and, even on Boxing Day, I was at Henlow, Michael was at Crayford and Michelle was at home doing the dogs.

“Thankfully, Graham (kennelhand) was first to text me with the words ‘Boom! Get in!’. That was a great feeling and Maggie fully deserves it. She’s had a great year, won competitions but also gone so close in many others too.”

Owned by Craig Chesson, David Redmile and the Kemps, victories in Henlow’s Gold Cup plus the Kent St Leger and now Boxing Day Marathon at Crayford have put Slippy Maggie in contention for a GBGB Awards nomination.

“You’d think she’d be considered,” added Kemp. “Apart from those wins, she also reached the final of the Yorkshire St Leger (Doncaster) and finished second in the Great North Run (Newcastle) and, of course, the St Leger at Perry Barr.

“We stepped her up in trip for the TV Trophy, and she made the final there, and now has won the Boxing Day Marathon – so got some sort of revenge on Savana Winner. But like Diane’s (Henry) bitch, Maggie needs a test now – at least 790m.

“We’ll still be back at Crayford for the Ladbrokes Golden Jacket with her, even though 714m is on the short side,” she added, “but there’s unlikely to be the races for her at that time of year, so we’ll give it go. She did win the Kent St Leger there.”

For her own part, Kemp is ready to bring down the curtain on a training career, in her own right, of some 35 years – although her association with the sport stretches back even further to going to the Hackney sales as an 11-year-old with her father.

“We also raced at Clacton, but it pretty much started with buying a bitch at the sales for 50 guineas. Mum went mad, so dad called her Brenda’s Girl after mum to win her over. Unfortunately she wasn’t very good, but it started things off!

“A good few dogs later I left home, married Michael and set up the business and later started a family. We’ve never really looked back, thanks to some fabulous owners and dogs and long may it continue with Michelle. We will support her all the way.”