Former English Greyhound Derby champion Droopys Plunge rolled back the years in style at Hove on Sunday, producing a dominant front-running performance to land the £10,000 Coral Gold Collar Final for Patrick Janssens and the Three Tall Men Syndicate.

The 2025 Derby hero made full use of the red jacket, breaking quickly and immediately taking command. Hugging the rails and maintaining his advantage throughout, the 11/8 favourite crossed the line in 28.76sec, two and three-quarter lengths clear of Forgottotellya, with kennelmate Romeo Tomcat finishing another two lengths back in third.

It was an emphatic return to the Category One winner’s enclosure for a greyhound whose comeback had already given the Janssens kennel plenty to celebrate. Having suffered an injury following his Derby success, Droopys Plunge was given the time needed to rediscover his best form, with Patrick Janssens saying before the final that the greyhound was beginning to find his rhythm again after returning to action.

His Gold Collar campaign underlined that resurgence. Droopys Plunge won his opening-round assignment in 29.33sec before finishing just half a length behind Bikini Bullet in the semi-final. Drawn on the inside for the decider, Droopys Plunge seized his opportunity from the outset.

The victory also provided a memorable conclusion to what has been an extraordinary and emotional week for the Janssens family.

Just days earlier, the kennel had been celebrating the safe return of Droopys Erlybird, known as Birdie, after the greyhound slipped his lead at Clacket Lane services. An extensive search followed, involving those from across the sport, a sniffer dog and a specialist drone team.

After more than a day missing, Birdie was eventually found beneath a bramble bush close to the services returning home safely and none the worse for the ordeal.

From the relief of having Birdie safely home to celebrating another Category One triumph with one of the kennel’s biggest stars, it has been a week the Janssens family and those connected with the kennel are unlikely to forget.

For Droopys Plunge, meanwhile, the Gold Collar provided another major prize for an already distinguished CV. On a Hove circuit where he has produced some of his finest performances, the former Derby champion showed that his big-race ability remains very much intact.