COOLAVANNY AUNTY is the RPGTV/GWA Greyhound of the Month for January.

Trained by Newcastle trainer Angela Harrison for the Alnwick Greyhound Group, the September 2019 daughter of Droopys Sydney and Yahoo Katie produced a magnificent performance to win the Coral Essex Vase at Romford.

For good measure, kennelmate Coolavanny Bani chased home the younger winner for a famous Harrison-trained one-two in the £10,000-to-the-winner London Road showpiece, which added to her Empress Stakes title won at Towcester last year.

Ian Walton, Newcastle general manager, said: “Congratulations to Angela (Harrison) and Jimmy (Wright), owners the Alnwick Greyhound Group, and to Coolavanny Aunty herself. We’ve always known here at Newcastle that she had a touch of class.

“She clocked some really fast times at Romford and the performances of both Aunty and Bani helped ease the long journey down south from the north-east for Jimmy and Ian (Sutherland). They must have been happy journeys back!

“Coolavanny Aunty made her debut here at Newcastle last March. It was in open class and her all-round pace caught the eye after crowding in third. She then won back-to-back races in A1 and open class and in many ways never looked back after.

“She was a good second in the Puppy Classic at Nottingham, won for Angela on Trainers’ Judgement Night back at Notts, then won the Empress Stakes, with Bani again chasing her home as runner-up there. They’re proving a top team!”

Clive Lawrence, RPGTV’s executive producer, said: “January is generally a quiet-ish month but we had some good winners nevertheless – especially on the channel to Angela Harrison and Jimmy (Wright) – again.

“They won last month’s award with their All England Cup winner Moanteen Mikey and now with Coolavanny Aunty who looks an outstanding bitch.”

In taking the monthly honour backed by RPGTV, Coolavanny Aunty edged out Premarket Pets Blue Riband champion Ivy Hill Skyhigh (Mark Wallis) and Coral Maiden winner Zari Rosie (Paul Burr) in a vote of GWA members.