LIZ MORT, chair of the British Greyhound Breeders Forum (BGBF), has congratulated Queen Katherine and Dan Brabon after their success in the £7,500 BGBF British Bred Maiden Derby at Newcastle – a rare victory for a southern-based trainer in the north-east.

 

“It was a fantastic run from Queen Katherine in the final of the BGBF Maiden Derby, on a memorable night for Dan (Brabon) given Katherine’s litter brother King Floyd also won on the same card,” said Mort. “It was definitely reward for Dan and his team making the trip to the north east three weeks in a row!

 

“Then again, our Maiden Derby is the one of the high points of the British-bred calendar and, such is its popularity, trainers based a long way from Newcastle think the trip is worth the effort and it definitely was in this case.”

 

A July 2024 daughter of Fromposttopillar and Queen Beyonce owned by David and Alison Stickells, Queen Katherine made a fantastic start before a superb burst of early pace took her clear in the 480m final, with hot favourite Glengar Vegas (4-9) taking a tumble in first-bend scrimmaging.

 

Thereafter, 8-1 chance Queen Katherine never looked in danger as she crossed the line two and a quarter lengths clear of running-on Ballycian Boy (John Flaherty) in 28.81sec (normal).

 

Victory in the Category Two followed that of littermate King Floyd (28.75sec) in the Arc British Bred Maiden, so completing a brilliant double for Brabon with two runners bred by Brendan Keogh and Liz and Rab McNair as part of the KSS Syndicate.

 

“They are by Keogh’s Fromposttopillar out of their home-bred Queen Beyonce, who was exceptional on the track herself, and whose progeny from an earlier litter include the brilliant King Memphis. So these two are definitely bred in the purple!

 

“Queen Katherine definitely took her chance well, but you had to feel for connections of Glengar Vegas who certainly didn’t have any luck. But he remains a very talented son of Irish Derby runner-up Singalong Sally, the 2021 Irish Derby runner-up, who was bred at his owner Gilbert Anderson’s base near Oxford.

 

“Ballycian Boy ran on well to finish second behind. Owned and bred by Michael Connolly and trained by John Flaherty, he is by Dromana Bucko out of Connolly’s Greenwell Elle and remains a real improver having started out in A5s at Newcastle before racing up the ranks into A1 company before winning his semi-final of the Maiden Derby.”