ROMEO ALLIANCE heads to Saturday’s heats of the Produce Stakes at Swindon as a two-time Category One winner after landing the Arena Racing Company Puppy Classic Final at Nottingham on Monday.

Kicking off National Greyhound Week with a star-studded gala at the Colwick Park venue in which the track also hosted the Arena Racing Company Select Stakes and Arena Racing Company Select Stayers, Romeo Alliance and his litter brother Romeo Ability, not to mention their kennelmate Fabulous Heka, helped light up the track on Bank Holiday Monday.

Fabulous Heka defeated hotpot Mongys Wild to win the Arena Racing Company Select Stayers, while Romeo Ability dipped inside Swift Hoffman’s previous best by one spot to set a new track record of 28.06sec (+60) in the supporting Arena Racing Company Birmingham Cup Trial Stakes over 480m. The event itself transfers to Nottingham from Perry Barr, starting on September 8.

However, both Romeo Alliance and Romeo Ability now line up in the weekend’s Swindon heats with the former looking to add to his JR Racing Syndicate Juvenile Classic success at Towcester last month in the British-bred showcase.

None too well away in Monday’s £12,500 Arc Puppy Classic decider, Romeo Alliance (4-9F) had a barging match with Bouncing Monarch (Dave Fradgley) exiting the traps and did not clear that rival until the approach to the first bend, by which time outsider Whisky Elsa (Nathan Hunt) has escaped the pack.

Running a great race at decent odds, Whisky Elsa led until the third bend when Romeo Alliance’s class took him to the front before drawing clear for a three and a half lengths victory over the Monmore raider in 29.24sec (+60). Third home was Droopys Poker (Kim Billingham-Hine), just ahead of Kranky Drake (Kevin Hutton).

Having later seen Fabulous Heka equal Romantic Rambo’s 44.11sec (+100) track record for 730m when winning the Arc Select Stakes, and then witness later wins for record-breaking Romeo Ability, Romeo Tomcat (29.33sec +50) and Gundy (17.81sec +20), a five-timer for Puppy Classic-winning trainer Patrick Janssens was well received by the handler!

He said: “Derby final night was special for us, of course, but Monday really wasn’t far behind. To get five winners and also see Droopys Plunge run so well to finish second in the Select Stakes wasn’t a bad night’s work.

“It’d been a tough few days actually. Ria had been caught up in traffic after an accident and couldn’t get to Monmore on Saturday. We had to withdraw our dogs there and you begin to feel the tide might be turning! Thankfully it hasn’t and we’re delighted how the year is going. We don’t have huge numbers but the quality is there.

“On Monday I was particularly delighted for Dave and Nicola Firmager. The dogs they are breeding are amazing and Dave is keen for us to support the last Produce Stakes at Swindon, so the two brothers will go there next. We couldn’t be happier with them.”

Photos: © Steve Nash