HOPES PADDINGTON made it back-to-back wins in the event for connections when winning a brilliant BresBet 76th East Anglian Greyhound Derby Final at Yarmouth on Wednesday.

 

Trained by 12-time champion trainer Mark Wallis for Nic and Amanda Jeal, the April 2020 son of Good News and Charity Anna finished best to deny favourite Coolavanny Shado (Patrick Janssens) after what proved an eventful 462m of the £15,000-to-the-winner annual in front of a good-sized crowd at the east coast venue.

 

Gracias Lorenzo (Mark Brighton) broke well and paced up into an early lead, followed by Coolavanny Shado, who, after a level break, accelerated into the turn. Challenging the local hope at the crown of the bend, there was a coming together which also led to crowding among those behind – with the exception of Hopes Paddington.

 

Able to turn in third, Wallis’s eventual winner still had plenty to do as ante-post favourite Coolavanny Shado, who had regained his stride, now unleashed a serious burst of pace into the third bend to open up a decisive advantage.

 

However, Hopes Paddington was also in full flow behind and closed on the leader rounding the final turns before striking the front on the run for home to win by two and three-quarter lengths from Coolavanny Shado and the gallant and keeping-on Gracias Lorenzo. The winning time was 27.66sec (normal).

 

Victory for Hopes Paddington gave trainer Wallis a fourth East Anglian Derby after wins also for Fear No One (2005), Clondoty Alex (2016) and Antigua Storm (2021) with the two-year-old achieving his first GBGB Category One victory in just his fifth UK start, albeit after a successful Irish career including finishing second in the Produce Stakes at Clonmel.

 

Hopes Paddington is named after owners Nic and Amanda Jeal favourite children’s character and Nic Jeal was delighted to have landed another major success at a track where his interest in the sport was spawned – albeit once again he was at an airport as his runner crossed the line in front in Yarmouth’s most prestigious contest.

 

“Last year we were off on holiday when Storm won and watched the race in the departure lounge and it was pretty much the same again this year,” he explained. “This time we were in a hotel at Heathrow Airport before an early morning flight to Switzerland – albeit this time on business!

 

“They say lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, but it certainly felt it had as we watched Hopes Paddington pretty much at an airport and again it’s really special. Yarmouth is my home Derby, so now to win it twice is amazing especially with a dog carrying our daughter’s name.

 

“Paddington probably hadn’t produced his best since coming over from Ireland but we knew how fast the dog was and it’s a massive thanks to Mark Wallis and his team for guiding him through the competition and for producing a fantastic run in the final. A brilliant training performance.”

 

Result: https://www.gbgb.org.uk/meeting/?meetingId=389347&raceId=875166