DROOPYS FLARE oozed class when winning the Queen Mother Memorial Final at Sheffield last weekend, just as many thought Sean Parker’s bitch would – including the South Yorkshire track’s director of racing Andrew Mascarenhas.

“I think we all thought she’d confirm her standing as one of the best stayers in training, and she didn’t disappoint,” said Mascarenhas in the wake of the local runner’s runaway success in Sunday’s £3,250-to-the-winner longstanding Category Two event. 

Despite not attracting the asked-for number of entries, the 660m competition produced one of the best winners in the event’s history as the Premier Greyhound Racing St Leger and Ladbrokes Golden Jacket runner-up raced away to land the six-bend feature.

“It was disappointing we only had ten entries, but on the other hand it was a joy to witness a superstar competing and proving her quality come the final,” added Mascarenhas after the Mother’s Day success for Droopys Flare and her trainer Sean Parker, whose own mother Elaine, herself a three-time Queen Mother Cup-winning trainer, was on hand for the presentation.

“You could see it was a special day for both Sean and Elaine, and well done to them and to Flare’s part-owner John Stubbings.

“We now look forward to the Bet St George Gymcrack which starts on April 12 and is worth £17,500 to the winner. We expect and hope to see a few of those presently engaged at Monmore in their Puppy Derby heading to us afterwards for such a good first prize.”

For the record, Droopys Flare won the Queen Mother Memorial Final at Sheffield by eight and a half lengths after reeling in early leader Droopys Extragud (Heather Dimmock) down the back-straight before drawing clear to cross the line in front of the staying-on Savanaregimental (Diane Henry) and third-placed Loxleys Forest (Jason Gray).

The winning time was 38.69sec (normal).