CHELMS CUB set the standard in the heats of the Premier Greyhound Racing Regency at Hove on Saturday.

The first time the famous 695m competition has raced under the Premier Greyhound Racing banner, a £20,000 first prize awaits the winner of the six-bend GBGB Category One final on Saturday, July 30. The £10,000 Coral Sussex Cup Final is also staged the same night.

A December 2019 son of Ballymac Bolger and Ballymac Andwhy, Chelms Cub was quickly away in heat five and raced away for an impressive ten-and-quarter-length success over Russian Sammy (David Elcock) and Spartadash (Richard Rees) in 41.43sec (normal).

Next quickest was the Mark Wallis-trained Bombardier as the July 2019 son of Ballymac Matt and Ballymac Efirgie made all in heat one to beat ante-post favourite Callmesteve (John Mullins) and Clongeel Ozzie (Jason Heath) by four and a quarter lengths in 41.55sec.

The other Premier Greyhound Racing Regency heats were won by the John Mullins-trained Alana Pet (41.76sec), Matt Dartnall’s Droopys Jungle (42.38sec), Heather Dimmock’s Milton Pepe (42.23sec) and Paul Young’s Bubbly Dancer (42.04sec).

Jeff Piper, Hove’s deputy racing manager, said: “Once again it was a local runner who set the standard in the Regency heats with Chelms Cub doing the business for Jason Heath.

“It was a trap-to-line victory in the fastest-time-of-the-night 41.43sec and he looks set for an early-paced tussle with Mark Wallis’s Bombardier in their semi-final clash at the weekend. There’s also the early pace of Kevin Boon’s Bettys Book and Paul Young’s Bubbly Dancer to contend with here – it looks a cracker.

“There was much to like about Milton Pepe’s victory in his heat and Heather Dimmock’s charge looks the one to beat in the second semi-final despite a tricky trap five draw. Lights Out and Sampson Rocket will certainly be in the thick of things here.

“The third semi-final sees ante-post favourite Callmesteve fare unfavourably with the draw – he’s got trap four again!

“That said, John Mullins’ performer may have the class to overcome that adversity. Expect a better run form Mark Wallis’s Blueberry Bullet here. She perhaps ran a touch below her usual high standards in the heats and looks ready to step up on that.”

Form and trap draw for Saturday’s semi-finals:- https://assets.cj1.in/imminent-otter/production/assets/results/Brighton-Hove/form-guides/Sat-23rd-July-Form-Adv.pdf