NOTTINGHAM is building up to another big Monday night with the semi-finals of the Arena Racing Company Puppy Classic along with pre-racing trials for the upcoming Arc Select Stakes and Arc Select Stayers.

Those two major one-offs dominate the Bank Holiday Monday meeting at Colwick Park on August 25 along with the final of the Puppy Classic for a gala programme.

The Category One puppy final is worth £12,500 to the winner, as is the Select Stakes, with a £2,000 prize up for the grabs for the one-off Select Stayers – entries for both the Select Stakes and Select Stayers close at 1pm on Friday.

Dave Baldwin, Arc’s director of greyhound racing, said: “There’s been plenty of interest in both the Select Stakes and Select Stayers and we’re confident of high quality fields for both. Once again, members of the Greyhound Writers’ Association will have the final say should we be oversubscribed for either event.

“Bank Holiday Monday kicks off National Greyhound Week and, like all our tracks, Nottingham are busy making arrangements for what should be a tremendous week-long celebration of the sport – and racing-wise it promises to be a brilliant meeting.

“The (Arc) Puppy Classic is building up very nicely and Monday’s semi-finals will tell us even more.”

Litter brothers Romeo Alliance and Romeo Ability stole the show in Monday’s heats over 500m at Colwick Park and have been kept apart in next week’s semis

The Patrick Janssens-trained pair of youngsters finished first and third in the recent JR Racing Juvenile Classic at Towcester and dominate the betting, along with fellow heat winner Kranky Drake, trained by Kevin Hutton.

Fastest of the heat winners was Romeo Alliance who raced away from his rivals in heat three for a seven and a half length success over Zenith Jimbombom (David Mullins) in 29.27sec (+70).

The time eclipsed that of his brother Romeo Ability, another member of a British-bred October 2023 batch by Romeo Magico out of Fabulous Mila, who starred in heat two, himself drawing right away early for a three and a half length win from Droopys Alldeway (Paul Young) in 29.32sec (+70).

Kranky Drake produced a powerful performance in heat one as the September 2023 son of Malachi and Hillview Queen caught longtime leader Bouncing Monarch (Dave Fradgely) for a length win in 29.54sec (+70).

The fourth and final heat went to Sheffield raider Cooladerrydancer who landed a deserved but surprise 12-1 victory for Rose Draper, leading early inside and taking maximum advantage as favourite Not So Steady (Patrick Janssens) was crowded out.

A December 2023 son of Lenson Bocko and Glenduff Callie, Cooladerrydancer made all thereafter to score by two lengths from Zenith Kindy (David Mullins) in 30.10sec (+70).