SIGNET ACE moved Kevin Hutton back into third in the Trainer of the Year standings with a brilliant performance to claim the £10,000 Ladbrokes Winter Derby Final at Monmore on Saturday.

On a night the event shared the stage with the Ladbrokes Puppy Derby Final, it was perhaps appropriate the youngest runner in the line-up scored an impressive victory in the GBGB Category One competition.

A September 2018 son of Laughil Blake and Forest Natalee, Signet Ace was whelped, reared and schooled by Paddy Kehoe and is owned in partnership between trainer Hutton and Mark Gilbert.

Led from the traps by Coolavanny Kyser (Mark Wallis) and favourite Queen Jessiej (Liz McNair), Signet Ace launched a superb turn of early pace before terrific second-bend running saw the two-year-old swoop to the front down the back-straight.

Never headed thereafter, he crossed the line four lengths clear of the fast-finishing Amazing Wink (Richard Rees), with Coolavanny Kyser in third. The winning time was 28.08sec (-20) for the 480m.

Winning trainer Hutton said: “We’re all thrilled. Myself, Donna (Witchalls) and Jock (Marc Studer) were at Monmore, but this is a team effort so well done everyone at the kennels. Winning these major events makes the hard work worthwhile.

“We always knew he could be special. His mum won the Irish Oaks on the track, but she’s also a daughter of Droopys Danneel and that whole litter – Natalee, Dorotas Wildcat, Woo Hoo, Vic and Forest Con were all special. Two of them won Derbys.”

Signet Ace made a winning start to his career over the same C&D in a Monmore A1 last June and always looked a greyhound with real potential, although Hutton feels he never quite produced his best form at Towcester in the Blue Riband in January.

“I thought he ran quite flat at Towcester, but I’ve noticed real improvement since and he definitely started to run better. However he then ran quite averagely again in the semis, so we thought we’d changed things up a touch – just increasing his workload.

“Natalee was the same. She flourished with the work and this fellow seems the same. We galloped him a few times in the week and you’d have to say it’s worked – that was the best run of his career when he needed it most.

“He really drove that second bend to beat a really good field and we’ve got to think about the Derby, of course, back at Towcester. In between the Laurels at Perry Barr could be a good race for him.”

Tony Williamson, Monmore racing manager, revealed he was in earshot of Hutton as the traps opened for the final – with the local handler roaring his runner into the first bend and onwards.

“Next time I’ll have earplugs at the ready!” said Williamson. “It was brilliant to hear the trainer’s passion and it clearly means so much given it was a first major victory as a dam for Forest Natalee, who they adore.

“It was our first Winter Derby and great that a Monmore trainer has won it. Well done to Signet Ace, who deserved the win with a fantastic effort, trapping smartly from a poor draw and battling on well to win comfortably in the end.”

Results: www.gbgb.org.uk/meeting/?meetingId=370968&raceId=717214