GOOD ACCLAIM broke new ground at Dunstall Park with victory with the inaugural Arena Racing Company Dunstall Dash.

Greyhound racing’s newest venue staged the 270m Category Two sprint competition alongside its first staging of the Arena Racing Company Laurels for an impressive double-header, with success on the big night for Mike Burton’s Droopys Aladdin in the Laurels and the Stuart Tighe-trained Good Acclaim in the Dunstall Dash.

Lining up the 8-13 favourite to claim the £5,000 prize after wins in both heat and semi-final, the April 2024 son of Good Cody and Portumna Marina soon secured pole position in the two-bend dash with a burst of early pace setting up victory over the keeping-on Droopys Will (Maxine Locke) in 15.72sec (-10). 

It landed a brilliant tenth win in 12 starts in the UK for the John Kennedy-bred runner, a half-brother of last year’s English Derby semi-finalist Dynamic Force.

Unraced in Ireland, Good Acclaim could now be heading back across the Irish Sea for a crack at the Bar One Racing National Sprint at Dundalk.

Dunstall Park racing manager Martin Seal congratulated connections of Good Acclaim and agreed that Stuart Tighe’s dog was a worthy first winner of a brand new event.

“I thought all-round it was a good competition and gave us a cracking final with a classy winner. To be fair, both Stuart’s runners ran well here with Brickhill Tamika also getting to the final after winning his semi-final too.

“My thinking was that having two competitions side by side does work well. It helps trainers plan cracks at two competitions at one track with different types of runners – and then also potentially helps with the supporting cards.

“So overall I was really pleased how the inaugural Dunstall Dash went, with a full complement of entries, great racing and sitting well alongside the Laurels.

“I fully expect next year’s edition to be even better. I thought the sprinters would benefit from another decent pot to aim at, given there are plenty of opportunities for four-bend and staying hounds throughout the year, especially at Category One level.

“It’s been the perfect time of the year for a good sprint event and hopefully a few of those entered will be back here for the Arc Scurry Gold Cup later in the year.”