WICKY NED, the 2024 Premier Greyhound Racing Greyhound of the Year, will spearhead the home challenge for the Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby after landing the sport’s top honour at the GBGB Awards in York on Thursday.

The Jimmy Fenwick-trained, Neil McGregor-owned runner won four Category One competitions in 2024 in the shape of both the BresBet Gymcrack and BresBet Steel City Cup at Sheffield, plus the Time Greyhound Nutrition Northern Flat and Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup at Newcastle.

Wicky Ned also landed the Genco Invitation Trophy at Towcester on Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby Final night and a return to the Northamptonshire venue is very much at the heart of plans for the August 22 son of Droopys Sydney and Ballycowen Lucy as the home guard aims to wrest the Classic away from Ireland.

“I think we’ve got a good team over here just now to have a go at beating the Irish,” said Newcastle trainer Fenwick as he collected the famous Greyhound of the Year trophy from Garry Nash, CEO of Premier Greyhound Racing.

“Ned, March On Freddie and Proper Heiress are all very capable and all trained over here and, while we know the Irish entry will be strong, I’m confident the trainers here can give the Derby a real crack this year and we’re looking forward to it.”

Wicky Ned looks a possible for the Juvenile Championship should the rules be tweaked to allow English Derby entries from the previous year given Irish Derby champion Bockos Diamond is being laid out for a crack at the prestigious one-off contest.

“That seems only right,” said Fenwick, who along with wife Melanie and daughters Lauren and Hannah, made it to the stage at York on three occasions having also been awarded Arc Standard Distance Greyhound of the Year and Keep Welfare On Track Newcomer of the Year 2024. “Either way, the Derby is our main focus,” he added.

In lifting the Keep Welfare On Track Newcomer of the Year 2024, Wicky Ned edged the David Mullins-trained March On Freddie and Diane Henry-trained Clona Curly to the prize, while he beat the Patrick Janssens-trained pair of Druids Say Go and Romeo Command to the Arc Standard Distance Greyhound of the Year 2024.

In winning the top honour, Wicky Ned succeeded Droopys Clue as Greyhound of the Year but the 2023 winner did not leave York empty-handed as he was once again voted Share Your Life With A Greyhound Stayer of the Year 2024.

Seamus Cahill’s champion successfully defended his Premier Greyhound Racing St Leger title at Perry Barr last year which was enough to see him deny the Mark Wallis-trained pair of New Destiny, a three-time Category One winner in 2024, and the latter’s kennelmate Garfiney Blaze, the Cesarewitch and George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial hero.

Droopys Clue is owned by Alex Hambi and Keylight Hire Ltd.

New Destiny was also nominated in the Racing And Sports Bitch of the Year 2024 category along with Queen Joni, but both had to give best to Druids Say Go who became the first greyhound to win the Click Competitions East Anglian Derby at Yarmouth and Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks at Perry Barr in the same year.

Druids Say Go is owned by the Value Racing Club.

Mark Wallis’s Ballymac Taylor was named the SIS Marathon Performer of the Year 2024 having won the Dorando Marathon at Towcester. She also finished runner-up in the Stadium Bookmakers TV Trophy at Oxford to Paul Young’s Bubbly Inferno, who was also nominated in this category along with Ballymac Taylor’s kennelmate Coonough Crow.

Ballymac Taylor is owned by the MWD Partnership.

Magical Bluebear, trained by Bill Russell for the Phillips family, took home the GBGB Sprinter of the Year 2024 having won the sole Category One event for the two-bend performers, the Arc Silver Salver at Central Park. He denied fellow nominees Rioja Oisin for Kevin Hutton and Broadway Murty of Sean White’s.

The Greyhound Racing UK Hurdler of the Year 2024 went to the Ricky Holloway-trained Signet Harper for owner Tony Brealey after success in the Ladbrokes Grand National at Crayford. In winning, the British-bred jumper beat kennelmate Harlequin Ernie and Barry O’Sullivan’s Nunhead Shiv.

Romeo Command was named British Bred Greyhound of the Year 2024 for the second year running as the Patrick Janssens-trained, David Firmager-bred and owned runner came through another strong category to retain the title.

Winner of the Premier Greyhound Racing Eclipse at Nottingham at the backend of last year as well as two British-bred events at Towcester, including the BGBF Stud Book Trophy, Romeo Command edged out Liz McNair’s Queen Joni and Kevin Hutton’s Rioja Bungle for the British-bred spoils.

Mark Wallis was on hand to collect his 15th Ladbrokes-sponsored Trainer of the Year 2024 title and was also very much part of the presentation for the Coral Owners of the Year 2024 which went to the MWD Partnership of himself and Mike Davis. They ended the winning sequence in recent years of the KSS Syndicate.

However, there was significant success for the McNairs and the KSS Syndicate as Queen Jessiej, dam of Queen Joni and Queen Georgia, won the GBGB Best Dam of British Bred 2024 – an award collected on connections’ behalf by Liz Mort, chair of the British Greyhound Breeders Forum.

Kaitlyn Linley was joined by her husband Sam, son of Sunderland trainer Shirley, as she collected her GBGB Kennelhand of the Year 2024, while connections of Nicky The Second were also there as the former Crayford tracker won the Arc Graded Greyhound of the Year 2024 after progressing up the ranks at the now sadly closed Kent venue.

The Greyhound Writers’ Association acknowledged the work of soon-to-retire GBGB chief executive Mark Bird with a special award, before the Draper family were welcomed to the stage to collect the GWA Services To Greyhound Racing Award.