MONMORE racing manager Tony Williamson hailed a great training performance from Nathan Hunt as the Cambridgeshire-based handler, with a dual attachment at the Wolverhampton track and Romford, starred with a four-timer on a huge night’s racing as the Ladbrokes Summer Stayers Classic and Ladbrokes Gold Cup kicked off.

Six heats apiece of the Category One competitions made for a top-class card at the Midlands venue and Hunt’s Cooladerry Dust posted the fastest clock in the Summer Stayers Classic as he bounced back from disappointment in the Coral Regency Final with an all-the-way success in heat four of the 630m annual.

In winning by three and three-quarter lengths, Cooladerry Dust also took the notable scalp of ante-post favourite and Greyhound of the Year Droopys Clue (Seamus Cahill) – and last year’s runner-up – who went off a 1-7 chance but was always second to the Coronation Cup runner-up. The winning time was a super-slick 37.41sec (normal) for the six bends.

Next quickest was Liz McNair’s Time Greyhound Nutrition 3 Steps To Victory winner Queen Georgia who made all impressively in 37.55sec in a red-hot heat from fellow Category One winners Coonough Crow (Mark Wallis) and Baywatch Bullet (Belinda Green), winning by five and a quarter lengths.

Mark Wallis’s New Destiny continued her fine run of form after threatening the track record recently with a facile success in heat six as the Coral Coronation Cup heroine pulled away nicely off the second bend for a near seven lengths win over Swift Depot (John Mullins) and King Combs (Liz McNair) in 37.57sec.

New Destiny was completing a Summer Stayers Classic winners for the Wallis team after Mad For Sterling (37.81sec) came away from his rivals in good style from the three-quarter point to score in heat one, while Diane Henry’s recent Towcester record-breaker Savana Jackpot (37.98sec) edged out Wallis’s Ballymac John in heat three.

Later, Robert Holt’s Trickys Matilda (37.84sec) was flawless in winning heat five as the Sheffield-trained runner was soon in pole position and raced away for a four-length victory over dual Category One winner Havana Top Note (Liz McNair), a performance that Monmore RM Tony Williamson suggests should not go under the radar.

“I thought she ran very well, although so too did Queen Georgia – and they are side by side in the third semi-final of the Classic,” he said, adding, “but all eyes will be on that first semi-final with New Destiny and Droopys Clue up against each other amongst a few other big-race winners. They were the top two in the market for the Stayers Classic.

“The Gold Cup semis are classy as we knew they would be after the performances on Saturday and it’s just shaping up to another brilliant card here at the weekend with the main events plus the supporting competitions.”