ROMEO TOMCAT capped a fantastic night for trainer Patrick Janssens and owner and breeder Dave Firmager when winning the BGBF British Breeders Stakes Final at Nottingham.

Saving the best for last in the first British-bred Category One competition of 2026 after defeat in heats and semis, Romeo Tomcat led fast-starting Eagles Respect (Angie Kibble) off the second bend and impressively kept up the gallop in front to cross the line three and a half lengths clear of the Produce Stakes champion in a fast 29.17sec (+40).

Third home was Romeo Empire to give the Janssens and Firmager team a one-three in the £10,000-to-the-winner contest in a final in which Firmager bred five of the finalists, including the Towcester Derby-bound winner.

With Romeo Steel also landing the BGBF British Bred Midlands Sprint Trophy, chief support to the main event, for Janssens and Firmager – last year’s Steel City Cup and Yarmouth Derby winner raced away for a 17.41sec (+20) win in the 305m Category Three competition – it was a glorious night for owner and trainer.

And Liz Mort, chair of the British Greyhound Breeders Forum (BGBF), said the success of Romeo Tomcat and Romeo Steel in the first two major British-bred competitions of 2026 made for a great start to the year for British breeding.

Mort said: “It was a night full of quality and both events were won, very deservedly so, by dogs owned and bred by David and Nicola Firmager and, given the overall quality of both finals, have shown again that we in the UK can breed dogs as good as anywhere in the world!

“Even before Romeo Steel won the British Bred Midlands Sprint Trophy and Romeo Tomcat the British Breeders Stakes, a British-bred broke the track record for the marathon trip at Nottingham. John Flaherty and Michael Connolly’s Greenwell Gypsy, an August 23 daughter of Burgess Bucks and Droopys Tulip, set new figures for 905m in a supporting marathon.

“Then we saw Romeo Steel successfully defend his British Bred Midlands Sprint Trophy. He’s been a star for Patrick and the Firmagers. He was named British Bred Greyhound of the Year at the GBGB Awards after a host of wins in 2025 including in the BGBF TruFrame Champion Stakes on Derby night at Towcester.

“And then came Romeo Tomcat winning the British Breeders Stakes and, while he was classy on the night, huge respect to connections of runner-up Eagles Respect who ran a stormer. Bred by Jonathan Miles, he is by Tommy Shelby out of his A Little Respect, in turn out of Jonathan’s Wiki Waki Woo.

“Next stop for Romeo Tomcat is the (Star Sports & Orchestrate Ltd) English Greyhound Derby and, a very good dog round Towcester, wouldn’t it be wonderful to be cheering on another British-bred in this year’s Derby final, another Romeo maybe.

“And, of course, thank you to Nottingham and Arc for again hosting these two competitions so well. They are always the first big finals of the year to look forward to in British breeding circles and we had two very good events – and winners – this year.”