Ahead of an all open race card at Hove on Saturday, headlined by the Regency and Sussex Cup heats, we take a look at the leading contenders for the competitions, the track’s stats toppers and beyond.

History of the competition

With a rich history dating back to 1972, The Sussex Cup continues to attract elite four-bend greyhounds from across the UK. The race takes place over 515m- the longer of the two four bend distances the track has to offer. The honour of being the first ever winner went to Come on Hasty, trained by Clare Orton. The 1980s and 1990s saw dominance from trainers like George Curtis and Nick Savva, with notable winners such as Yankee Express (1982) and Phantom Flash (1990).

Running alongside the Sussex Cup is the Regency. The Regency was inaugurated in 1948 as the Regency Produce Stakes, originally restricted to British-bred greyhounds. It quickly gained popularity, attracting over 160 litters in its first year and more than 200 in 1949.

In 1966 the competition became open to all greyhounds and since then, it has undergone several distance changes before settling at its current 695 metres in 2006.

The competition’s roll of honour includes some of the sport’s most iconic names including Westmead County (1975), Spiridon Louis (2007) and more recently Space Jet (2023) who staged a dramatic come-from-behind victory, earning a standing ovation from a packed stadium

 

Trial stakes leading performers

Patrick Janssens stole the show in last weekend’s trial stakes with three victories on the action-packed card. Romeo Tomcat secured victory in division A of the Sussex Cup trial stakes in 30.43 while Slick Sentinel stormed to. 8 ¼ length victory over Razldazl Myway in division two (30.15).

Janssens third winner came when Romeo Empire led from the second to take division A of the Regency trial stakes with notable mentions also going to Ivy Hill Cherry (Seamus Cahill) and Borna Parachute (David Mullins) who also secured victories over the distance.

Leading trainers

Graded

Trainer W R % TPM +/- %W %R *W *R *% *+/-
S A Cahill 179 882 20.3% £66,993 -£211.33 13.0% 12.3% 76 195 39.0% -£18.74
C Gardiner 164 823 19.9% £62,525 -£152.08 11.9% 11.5% 54 159 34.0% -£26.79
J J Heath 152 750 20.3% £56,495 -£124.11 11.0% 10.5% 55 166 33.1% -£39.57
S Maplesden 130 754 17.2% £50,770 -£162.04 9.4% 10.5% 44 115 38.3% -£9.75
B S Green 127 652 19.5% £49,130 -£87.97 9.2% 9.1% 42 119 35.3% -£15.88

 

Open

Trainer W R % TPM +/- %W %R *W *R *% *+/-
S A Cahill 43 182 23.6% £26,984 -£53.20 17.5% 13.8% 22 45 48.9% -£1.95
B S Green 31 161 19.3% £19,995 £41.71 12.6% 12.2% 7 24 29.2% -£10.79
R P Rees 27 104 26.0% £14,700 -£18.73 11.0% 7.9% 14 24 58.3% £0.19
D D Knight 14 64 21.9% £8,210 -£26.11 5.7% 4.9% 9 20 45.0% -£4.73
J J Heath 14 106 13.2% £10,985 -£15.08 5.7% 8.0% 4 12 33.3% -£4.17

 

Trap records

Trap W R % +/- *W *R *% *+/-
1 368 1578 23.3% -£296.59 184 435 42.3% -£23.13
2 288 1567 18.4% -£388.80 108 332 32.5% -£87.42
3 269 1543 17.4% -£430.38 100 290 34.5% -£50.50
4 270 1440 18.8% -£328.71 89 236 37.7% -£33.33
5 135 899 15.0% -£209.37 43 129 33.3% -£34.83
6 292 1460 20.0% -£239.19 104 253 41.1% -£15.11

 

Spotlight on…

Sussex Cup

All eyes will be on competition favourite Proper Heiress– an Olympic winner over course and distance as well as the return of Liz McNair’s superstar King Memphis.

Want a local dog to follow then look no further than the Belinda Green trained, Gary The Arb. Although now a familiar face on the open race scene he started his career at the Brighton based track putting in a series of strong performances against top company.

Regency

Among the standout entries this year is Mongys Wild, who boasts a staggering 92.8% win rate from 14 starts and recently clocked a blistering 29.85 over 515m while you cannot discount another Mark Wallis entry in 2024 Stayer of the Year nominee Garfiney Blaze.

Another strong contender is Romeo Empire, with a 100% strike rate since stepping up to six bends.

Racing office view

“Although a tad short of entries in both competitions, the level is very high which may explain it” said racing manager Rob Abrey. “Hove as a track attracts the top runners year after year and this time for both of the prestigious events is no different. Each competition is littered with category one winners which shows the strength in depth of them”

“They look to be fantastic competitions and we at Hove are going to strap ourselves in and enjoy the ride. We hope everyone else does as well. With four finals and supporting opens planned for finals night, Hove is hopefully the place to be.”

Stats head-to-head

The Regency

 

Draw Greyhound W R % TPM +/- *W *R *% *+/- BST BAT BCT
1 Breton Molly 16 51 31.4% £9,840 -£15.94 10 21 47.6% -£4.19 4.16 29.35 29.35
2 Razldazl Amanda 12 49 24.5% £6,890 £5.13 6 15 40.0% -£2.12 3.54 29.84 30.09
3 Lilys Bullet 2 14 14.3% £1,745 -£10.70 2 3 66.7% £0.30 4.28 29.40 29.40
4 Bombay Nutty 12 31 38.7% £6,335 -£1.19 10 15 66.7% £1.81 4.11 29.03 28.91
5 Vacant 0 0 0.0% £0 £0.00 0 0 0.0% £0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
6 Tato Komodo 10 46 21.7% £4,430 -£7.42 4 7 57.1% £0.62 4.01 27.20 27.04
 

 
1 Soul Choice 2 9 22.2% £1,145 -£4.00 0 0 0.0% £0.00 3.58 29.13 29.13
2 Romeo Empire 10 17 58.8% £6,295 -£0.88 9 13 69.2% -£0.13 3.04 28.96 28.80
3 Rules For Some 11 50 22.0% £4,510 -£10.08 6 17 35.3% -£3.83 3.62 29.44 29.64
4 Alright Irene 3 21 14.3% £1,980 -£14.38 3 5 60.0% £1.63 3.24 27.10 27.00
5 Vacant 0 0 0.0% £0 £0.00 0 0 0.0% £0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
6 Kates Bart 1 10 10.0% £845 -£1.00 0 1 0.0% -£1.00 3.60 30.09 30.09
 

 
1 Tuono Bella 18 50 36.0% £10,755 -£3.99 11 22 50.0% -£0.42 3.02 29.30 29.03
2 Droopys Invent 7 21 33.3% £3,055 -£0.92 5 9 55.6% £1.33 3.57 28.35 28.35
3 Mongys Wild 13 14 92.9% £38,375 £5.61 11 11 100.0% £3.23 4.38 29.18 29.08
4 Best Miney 15 59 25.4% £4,075 £5.96 4 7 57.1% £2.58 4.00 15.63 15.53
5 Vacant 0 0 0.0% £0 £0.00 0 0 0.0% £0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
6 Miss Syd 19 56 33.9% £9,935 -£14.37 15 31 48.4% -£2.75 3.49 22.91 23.11
 

 
1 Ivy Hill Cherry 8 26 30.8% £3,330 £4.95 4 8 50.0% £1.20 3.60 29.66 29.54
2 Swift Jarvis 10 40 25.0% £5,150 -£5.28 5 11 45.5% -£1.90 3.70 29.36 29.38
3 Commanche 3 7 42.9% £1,030 £6.33 0 0 0.0% £0.00 4.22 29.44 29.59
4 Newinn Cloud 11 35 31.4% £8,075 -£3.43 7 11 63.6% £2.94 3.23 28.01 28.11
5 Proper Dangeress 1 1 100.0% £350 £1.38 1 1 100.0% £1.38 3.09 29.11 28.81
6 Alright Gordy 30 85 35.3% £15,315 -£3.12 21 36 58.3% £2.34 3.69 27.24 27.04
 

 
1 Borna Parachute 2 10 20.0% £1,380 -£3.20 1 2 50.0% -£0.70 3.82 24.48 24.66
2 Crafty Prospero 3 8 37.5% £1,020 -£0.63 2 5 40.0% -£0.38 4.28 29.47 29.47
3 Ower Smasher 16 60 26.7% £14,750 -£15.87 9 20 45.0% -£3.62 3.75 29.63 29.89
4 Barbie Bullet 10 53 18.9% £4,970 £11.76 4 11 36.4% -£3.36 3.54 28.87 28.77
5 Vhagar 7 12 58.3% £4,605 £5.28 5 5 100.0% £3.90 4.06 28.90 28.90
6 Dazl Rolex 13 27 48.1% £26,010 £0.24 10 16 62.5% -£1.51 3.66 30.14 30.15
 

 
1 Minstrels Six 11 41 26.8% £4,545 £30.38 4 9 44.4% -£0.45 3.53 29.38 29.78
2 Art Riddler 9 36 25.0% £3,905 -£15.43 7 18 38.9% -£2.93 3.68 29.45 29.39
3 Garfiney Blaze 22 29 75.9% £43,440 £4.49 20 26 76.9% £2.24 13.00 40.12 39.82
4 Gothic Kitty 12 29 41.4% £4,620 £3.73 8 13 61.5% £5.86 4.10 27.81 27.91
5 Dazl Twink Star 2 26 7.7% £2,360 -£17.00 0 2 0.0% -£2.00 3.56 23.74 23.88
6 Burrows Eclipse 6 26 23.1% £4,110 -£2.23 2 6 33.3% -£2.69 3.43 29.04 28.84

 

Sussex Cup

Draw Greyhound W R % TPM +/- *W *R *% *+/- BST BAT
1 Tea For Me 10 34 29.4% £3,820 -£9.50 8 18 44.4% £0.25 3.56 29.15
2 No Better Feelin 10 37 27.0% £9,080 £7.02 2 8 25.0% -£5.07 3.17 26.76
3 Kilmore Dancer 8 26 30.8% £8,590 -£5.09 6 18 33.3% -£7.59 3.16 27.49
4 Teddie 5 18 27.8% £3,590 -£9.98 5 6 83.3% £2.02 3.61 28.71
5 Ower Mystery 11 30 36.7% £4,470 -£7.12 10 16 62.5% £2.88 3.54 16.70
6 Ballymac Kobe 7 20 35.0% £5,200 £1.23 5 11 45.5% -£0.64 3.04 28.31
 

 
1 Bower Gift 4 14 28.6% £1,595 -£6.74 4 7 57.1% £0.26 3.55 29.09
2 King Memphis 25 40 62.5% £58,440 -£1.39 22 34 64.7% -£2.89 3.03 26.60
3 Kevins Rocket 5 27 18.5% £3,540 -£12.81 2 5 40.0% -£1.81 3.57 28.97
4 Golden Palace 12 58 20.7% £13,120 -£4.98 3 10 30.0% -£2.45 3.20 26.85
5 Dazl Hermes 14 63 22.2% £10,485 -£22.32 7 18 38.9% -£2.40 3.52 22.89
6 Uncle Freddie 8 46 17.4% £6,705 -£8.73 3 6 50.0% -£0.23 3.10 28.81
 

 
1 Queen Shakira 20 49 40.8% £11,985 -£11.27 17 28 60.7% -£0.77 2.98 27.12
2 Ower Cracker 4 13 30.8% £2,010 -£5.38 3 6 50.0% -£0.75 3.57 29.13
3 Gary The Arb 20 53 37.7% £13,145 £0.76 15 25 60.0% £6.64 3.64 27.53
4 Hopes Ompaloompa 9 25 36.0% £4,360 £26.25 2 4 50.0% £0.75 3.60 28.86
5 Romeo Tomcat 8 18 44.4% £6,680 -£0.23 6 8 75.0% £2.19 3.12 28.32
6 Antigua Forky 7 35 20.0% £3,425 -£15.05 4 8 50.0% -£0.14 3.48 29.28
 

 
1 Burrows Emerald 15 59 25.4% £5,855 £7.67 6 15 40.0% -£2.42 3.57 29.27
2 Amazing Force 6 43 14.0% £4,410 -£17.72 2 9 22.2% -£4.55 3.54 16.68
3 Quill Quids 3 14 21.4% £1,560 -£8.19 3 7 42.9% -£1.19 4.22 28.51
4 Ballydarley Jack 2 9 22.2% £1,005 £0.50 0 3 0.0% -£3.00 3.61 29.22
5 Ballymac Axel 4 12 33.3% £3,095 -£0.32 2 5 40.0% -£1.40 3.11 26.81
6 Slick Sentinel 14 36 38.9% £15,890 £10.95 9 12 75.0% £4.33 3.56 28.77
 

 
1 Gun Slinger 7 33 21.2% £4,160 -£9.97 3 5 60.0% £0.15 3.12 28.41
2 Chelms Bear 18 46 39.1% £13,440 -£3.97 13 27 48.1% -£5.82 3.33 27.49
3 Brinkleys Betty 2 16 12.5% £2,750 -£2.00 1 2 50.0% £0.00 3.20 27.11
4 Mossrich Kylie 9 29 31.0% £4,180 -£6.62 8 17 47.1% £1.38 3.60 16.98
5 Slick Sabo 22 62 35.5% £24,335 -£4.81 14 24 58.3% -£0.06 3.07 23.06
6 Newinn Benni 16 34 47.1% £16,170 £7.77 12 20 60.0% £1.77 3.04 28.50
 

 
1 Missile One 11 30 36.7% £6,450 -£3.20 7 13 53.8% £0.43 3.59 29.00
2 Razldazl Barkley 10 46 21.7% £6,300 -£20.44 7 18 38.9% -£2.94 3.58 23.31
3 Proper Heiress 13 21 61.9% £46,890 £5.85 11 16 68.8% £2.77 2.99 27.59
4 Arthur Job 2 15 13.3% £3,480 £21.00 0 0 0.0% £0.00 3.18 27.91
5 Zsuzsi 7 48 14.6% £5,590 -£14.18 1 4 25.0% -£1.80 3.57 16.67
6 Vacant 0 0 0.0% £0 £0.00 0 0 0.0% £0.00 0.00 0.00