PROPER HEIRESS, trained by Mark Wallis for Mike Davis and the MWD Partnership, became the third greyhound to win two Olympic titles with a brilliant history-making success in the Coral-sponsored showpiece at Hove on Saturday.

On what proved a fantastic festive treat for racegoers at the seaside venue, they witnessed a superstar of the track win his fifth Category One title of 2025 and, incredibly, a sixth Category One victory in a 12-month period as he emulated Gunner Smith’s back-to-back Olympic champion House Hunter (1986-87) and also matched two-time winner Droopys Oasis (2003-05), the latter being the only greyhound to regain the Olympic title for Brian Clemenson’s team.

However, Proper Heiress tops those major names – and some!

Already winner of the Arc Kent Plate at Central Park, the Ladbrokes Winter Derby at Monmore, the Coral Sussex Cup at Hove, the Premier Greyhound Racing Eclipse at Nottingham and now the Coral Olympic – again – at Hove, the September 2022 son of Droopys Sydney and Powerful Mush also added Saturday’s victory to his Time Juvenile Championship win at Towcester.

And, more than that, Proper Heiress also reached the final of the BoyleSports Irish Derby Final at Shelbourne Park – and the 2026 Star Sports & Orchestrate England Greyhound Derby will be the main long-term target for Wallis’s superstar next year.

“He’ll be very much into his fourth year but that’s the missing part of his CV – a Derby victory – and that would complete the set,” said 15-time champion trainer Wallis. “I think we all agree he’s something of a modern day great and no-one can ever recall any dog winning five Cat Ones in a year, let alone six in total. It’s incredible really, especially when you throw in what he did in the Juvenile and getting so far at Shelbourne.

“It was probably one race too many in Ireland but came off the back of a pretty long schedule, which we’ll change next year. We’ll try to keep him as fresh for Towcester as possible with maybe a few one-offs before, or Central Park to try and win the Kent Plate again.”

Lining up for the £10,000 final at Hove as the 2-7 favourite for an event which shared the stage with the George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial Final, a fast start from Proper Heiress effectively soon settled the issue as he rampaged to the front and raced away for a glorious victory in front of a bumper crowd at the south coast venue, with the remainder ultimately having to play for second.

For much of the way Underground Arlo (Paul Young) had claim to the runner-up spot but Moving Force (Seamus Cahill) stayed on best to cross the line seven lengths behind the winner and ahead of Underground Arlo in third.

Proper Heiress posted a winning time of 29.39sec (normal), not just the fastest of the year but the closest any greyhound has come for many years to Barnfield On Air’s 29.20sec track record, set in 2007.

 

Photos: © Steve Nash