NATHAN HUNT is still enjoying the glow of celebrating his first Trainers Judgement Night win after a last-leg success in the event at Monmore, now known as the David Lipsey Trophy, last week.

Having gone close a year before when the event was staged at Perry Barr, it was Monmore trainer Nathan Hunt who struck gold in the points-make-prizes six-trainer one-off as his super-consistent Senahel Sydney justified the Welshman’s decision to carry the kennel’s hopes for double points as his joker selection in the final leg.

Scoring a narrow but popular victory from Paul Young’s Underground Arlo, Senahel Sydney (28.41sec, 480m) added to earlier victories for the Hunt-trained pair of Sams Magic (28.38sec, 480m) and Scooby Diamond (15.34sec, 264m) giving him a hat-trick on the night, but it was the joker selection of Senahel Sydney which sealed the deal.

“He’s such a great and consistent sort, always in the shake-up, so I thought he’d definitely get a few points,” said Hunt. “Getting the maximum in the last leg was the icing on the cake and it’s massive for myself and the kennel, my old boss Phil Simmonds especially, to win Judgement Night – especially after such a good year last year.

“We finished fifth in the Trainers’ standings which was our best yet, so got into Judgement Night automatically. The previous year we’d finished just outside but was called up to take part at Perry Barr and that was a good night, albeit we just missed out to Mark (Wallis), but it went to the last leg then also between myself, Tom (Heilbron) and Mark.

“Getting the job done this year was definitely a proud moment and thank-you to all who made it possible – the sponsors and Monmore, especially, and to the family of Lord David Lipsey who it was nice to meet at the presentation.”

The late Lord Lipsey’s wife Margaret and their son Barney made the presentation to Hunt after Senahel Sydney’s success as effectively the first winner of the David Lipsey Trophy.

For the record, the other legs were won by Maxine Locke’s Annadown Warrior (28.50sec, 480m), plus Mark Wallis’s pair of Armagh Daithi (28.23sec, 480m) and Vhagar (40.57sec, 684m) – a series of top-class performances which delighted Joe Edwards, communications manager at Monmore, especially with a local handler taking the overall £5,000 first prize.

Edwards said: “Congratulations to Nathan and his team. It was a great night and a great night for us here at Monmore with one of our trainers winning one of the sport’s biggest prizes really. Trainers Judgement Night for the David Lipsey Trophy is always one of the best night’s racing of the year – and so it proved.

“This was the first year the event was named in honour of Lord Lipsey, former chair of Premier Greyhound Racing and the British Greyhound Racing Board – now the GBGB – who was a huge advocate of the sport before he passed away last year.”

Final scores: 49 Nathan Hunt, 44 Paul Young, 43 Maxine Locke, 35 Mark Wallis, 23 Tom Heilbron, 18 Kevin Hutton.