GBGB is pleased to announce that Nicky The Second, trained by Julie Luckhurst, is winner of the 2024 GBGB Award for Graded Greyhound of the Year.

Nicky The Second was purchased for £500 at the Premier Greyhound Sales at Crayford on 15th May, after clocking 24.62 in a two-dog sales trial, 2 ¼ lengths inside grading time for the 380m distance. Nicky began his qualifying trials just over a week later, clocking 25.26 in his first 380m three dog trial and then 25.08 in his second. Nicky The Second qualified for racing after having a solo 380m trial on 7th June, with a calculated time of 24.12.

His first race was in an A8 on 15th June, being sent off at 20/1 and was beaten 11 ½ lengths, quickly being downgraded to A9 after that run. He bounced back to record his first win only a couple of weeks later, winning by 2 lengths and then following up with back-to-back wins on 4th July in A8. He won an A8 on 15th August and thereafter won each of his next seven races, gradually improving with each run and finishing his winning sequence in A1 on 4th October in an impressive calculated time of 23.45.

Just over three weeks later, Nicky capped off his rise to the summit when landing a Maiden Open on 27th October in his fastest calculated time of 23.34 – a brilliant training performance to take 24 lengths off his first recorded official trial time to his open win.

In all, Nicky boasts a 50% strike rate in graded contests having managed ten wins from 20 at the track as well as two open race wins at Crayford.

Duncan Gibson, GBGB’s Senior Stipendiary Steward and member of the GBGB Awards judging panel, said:

“Congratulations to connections of Nicky The Second on winning the 2024 Graded Greyhound of the Year Award following his fantastic year of racing at Crayford.

“For Nicky not to be able to do a grading time straight away and then record ten wins in 20 graded runs, as well as improve to open race standard in barely 6 months, is a phenomenal achievement.

“We were, as always, very impressed by the nominations received for Graded Greyhound of the Year. Thank you to all the tracks who took the time to put forward their greyhounds for the Award.