Scooby the Lady became just the fourth winner of the event when leading home hot favourite and defending champion Proper Heiress in the final of the Arena Racing Company Kent Plate at Central Park on Saturday – setting a new track record for the 491m trip there in the process.

Trained by Richard Rees for Steve Noble, the January 2024 daughter of Grangeview Ten and Scooby Duchess added her name to a list of winners including not just Mark Wallis’s recently crowned GBGB Greyhound of the Year but inaugural winner Fromposttopillar (2023) and Queen Joni (2024), both trained by Liz McNair.

Having clocked the fastest time in both heats and semi-final, Scooby The Lady (5-2) was fancied by a good few to put pressure on Proper Heiress (4-6F) with a fast start – and that is exactly what the Hove raider did and a first-bend lead proved a winning one for the Rees charge, despite a gallant effort to keep hold of the title from the favourite.

Quickly away, Scooby The Lady was soon ahead but Proper Heiress also paced up well. Crucially, however, the joint-youngest finalist, along with Droopys Graph (Patrick Janssens), held the advantage heading into the bend and, cutting across Proper Heiress, was away and on her way to a three and a half lengths success in 28.40sec (normal).

The time was five spots inside the previous best for the trip and, while Proper Heiress closed down the back, Scooby The Lady impressively kept up the gallop up front, much to the delight of winning trainer Rees, whose son Charlie oversaw matters at Central Park.

“Well done to Charlie and Martha (Snape, kennelhand), and to Lady herself!” said Rees. “She’s just running great and showing her class.

“She did the best clocks in both rounds and then does the track record in the final and beats the best dog in the UK in doing so. I know Mark’s building up to the Derby with Heiress but the time shows you what a run it was and it’s just great she’s fulfilled what we always thought of her.”

A litter sister of Scooby Diamond, last year’s Romford Puppy Cup winner, Scooby The Lady had showed huge early promise with a fast 29.09sec debut win at Hove.

“That was some run, but she didn’t quite handle Oxford for the Puppy Oaks there and it wasn’t until she got back to Hove and started winning again that she looked back to her best and she’s just improved since.

”I’m just delighted for her owner Steve (Noble). He’s been a good supporter of the kennel for a good while and puts plenty into the game, including on the breeding side, and deserves this.

“We’ll take her back to Hove now for a crack at the (Coral) Brighton Belle and, providing season doesn’t intervene, we’ve got to let her have a crack at the Derby. She’s shown she can compete at that level at Central Park, so Towcester is definitely on the agenda.”