AAYAMZA ROYALE rewrote the record books at Monmore on Saturday as Mark Wallis’s reigning GBGB Greyhound of the Year not only successfully defended her Ladbrokes TV Trophy title but also broke her own 900m track record – for the fourth time – and helped the boss of Imperial Kennels become the winningmost trainer in the event’s long and cherished history.

It was another brilliant and flawless performance from the November 2017 daughter of Ballymac Eske and Ascot Lydia, who took up the running from pacesetter Southfield Code with a lap to go before drawing right away, eventually winning by 11 and a half lengths from the running-on Savana Volcano (Diane Henry).

The winning time was 55.00sec, some 26 spots quicker than her previous best mark for the distance in the heats, adding her name to a famous roll of honour once again. Her back-to-back wins emulated Scurlogue Champ (1985/86) and Midway Skipper (2009/10) and also matched Ericas Equity (2003/05) as a two-time winner of the marathon showpiece.

Aaymaza Royale also landed Mark Wallis a record fourth TV Trophy title with her two victories added to Blonde Reagan’s success – at Monmore – in 2012 and Bumblebee Bullet’s Romford’s strike in 2019.

The trainer was delighted afterwards, commenting: “That was a breathtaking performance tonight and I’m just so pleased for all the connections and our kennel.

“Lydia has peaked at the right time and truly is a bitch in a million. She simply loves Monmore, as we do, so a big thank-you to Tony (Williamson, Monmore racing manager) and his team who are always so accommodating and nice to us.

“A thank-you to Ron Mills as well who, as usual, worked his magic on her this week. She came off from the heats in need of some work but come the days leading up to the final was bouncing in herself and was ready to do herself justice.

“I’m very proud that both my son Daniel and daughter Emily were there throughout the competition. I purposely didn’t go so they could enjoy the glory – they deserved it.”

Nigel Smith, a member of the successful Ayamzaboys Syndicate along with Mitch Brennan, Steve Cragg, Andy Pelley, Dave Partner, Mark Banning, Nigel Shaw, John Hill, Richard Sanderson, Dave Rayner and John Steward, said: “That was just an amazing run – she’s a dog of a lifetime for us.”

Smith added: “I’m not usually confident beforehand but this time really couldn’t see her being beaten. I knew Mark and the kennel had brought her to peak at the right time. She’d had a couple of months off after Hove in December and she’s gradually come forward with each run since returning.

“Once she hit the front so early we knew that was that. We’re all so proud of her and thank everyone at Imperial Kennels for their work. We’ll certainly look at the Dorando for her on Derby final and maybe the Regency – she runs a stiff six bends really well, too.

“With luck we could have a good six months with her, with the right races, and are sponsoring a marathon at Towcester in October – the 1st Containers Marathon Trophy – and hopefully she could go for that.

“But it’s now about enjoying the fact we have a two-time TV Trophy winner – with something like six track record runs on her card from December – all which makes her one of the greats of the sport. And that’s fantastic.”