KING MEMPHIS did exactly what eventual winner and former kennelmate Fromposttopillar did 12 months ago by setting the fastest time of the night in heat six of the Coral Olympic at Hove on Saturday.

Saving the best for last in the 515m heats on a night the Olympic shared the stage with the heats of the George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial in a fantastic GBGB Category One double-header at the Sussex venue, it was the December 2021 son of Droopys Sydney and Queen Beyonce who starred over four bends.

Railing into the lead at the first bend, the newly crowned RPGTV Puppy Derby champion drew away before crossing the line three lengths clear of Kilara Show (Richard Rees) and Beggars Bullet (Belinda Green) in 30.03sec (-30), which set the standard in the £10,000-to-the-winner event and completed a double for Liz McNair on the night.

The kennel’s Queen Leona had earlier struck in heat three of the Coral Olympic as the December 2021 daughter of Droopys Sydney and Queen Jessiej upset the odds-on Hesoneofourown (Belinda Green) by collaring that pace-setting rival on the run for home to score by a length and a half in 30.61sec (-30).

The match-up the night was Coral Champion Stakes winner Hollow Man versus Premier Greyhound Racing Eclipse champion Newinn Syd (Mark Wallis) in heat one and the pair produced a barnstormer before Derek Knight’s local hero scored by half a length in 30.24sec (-30), with King Combs (Liz McNair) qualifying in third.

Dave Buddy sent out outsider Bluejig Jane to land an upset in heat two as a fast start set up a first bend lead which the June 2021 daughter of Droopys Sydney and Blue Of Diamonds never looked likely to relinquish before coming home a length and a half clear of Getup Me Boy (Belinda Green) and Never Say No (Seamus Cahill) in 30.60sec (-30).

June Harvey’s Ower Mystery made it two from two in the UK when pacing up well to head favourite Wasted Monday (Belinda Green) in heat four before holding a strong challenge from his trackmate to score by half a length in 30.29sec (-30), with another Hove-trained runner Eire Buckle making the semi-finals in third.

The remaining heat five saw Brighton Belle heroine Betsys Bullet continue her fantastic record on home soil with a slick exit, albeit a persistent challenge from Untold Zloty (Carol Weatherall) saw the pair come close on the run for home with the Hove bitch crossing the line half a length in front in 30.70sec (-30). Watch The Limo (Seamus Cahill) was third.

Hove racing manager Rob Abrey was delighted with the overall quality of both competitions and said: “Our last Category One finals were back in July, but the wait was definitely worth it given what we saw in both the start of the Coral Olympic and George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial over 515m and 740m respectively.

“Both competitions are a real test of stamina for four- and six-bend dogs, but concentrating on the Olympic here, which was first run for in 1947 and has been a mainstay of the open-race scene at Hove with past winners such as Ballyregan Bob, Droopys Buick and King Turbo, I think the event got off to an absolute flyer.

“Ante-post favourite Hollow Man, trained by Derek Knight who is looking for a sixth Olympic title, won his heat by half a length after a great battle with Newinn Syd. The latter came into the competition on the back of winning the Eclipse and took that form into the very first heat and showed he will be handful going forward.

“Liz McNair knows what it takes to win the Olympic, too, having won it on three occasions with King Sheeran, King Turbo and Fromposttopillar last year. This year they sent a strong team into battle with King Memphis the standout performer.

“All the semi-finalists deserve to be there in what will be an incredibly high standard of racing and we’re all looking forward to Saturday.”

Trap draw for Saturday’s semi-finals: https://assets.cj1.in/imminent-otter/production/assets/results/Brighton-Hove/form-guides/Sat-16th-Dec-Form-Adv_2023-12-11-090456.pdf