SMOKESTACK SAXON landed Hove trainer Jason Heath his fifth Category One when making all for a popular victory in the final of the £10,000 c at the seaside venue.

On a night the south coast venue also hosted the final of the Coral Regency for a huge Category One double-header in front of a bumper crowd, it was the youngest finalist in the Sussex Cup who came out on top with a sharp burst of early pace sealing a first bend lead.

Thereafter, the surprise 18-1 semi-final winner repeated the dose for a three and a half length win over Copney Queen (Paul Young) and Moving Force (Seamus Cahill) in 30.13sec (-10) for the 515m trip. His SP come final night was 5-1.

The victory for the October 2024 son of Dorotas Wildcat and Moanteen Cindy, a Clonmel winner scoring a fifth victory in just seven UK starts, delighted local handler Heath who said: “To win such a prestigious competition with a young, inexperienced dog such as Smokestack Saxon is unbelievable.

“I was actually in two minds whether to enter him or not, but thought if you are good enough then you are old enough and thankfully was proved right.

“The owners are fantastic and are proper greyhound people and deserve this win. They picked Saxon out at three months old and he is a credit to Rachel Wheeler who reared and schooled him – and he arrived here in fantastic condition.

“Winning the Sussex Cup is our fifth Category One success and I’m so lucky to have the staff I’ve got. They’ve all been with me for many years so a big thank-you to Sally, Dan and Tracy.

 “Hove as usual did a fantastic job making the owners of the finalists feel special on what was a very busy night.”

Owned by the Bristol-based Smokestack Syndicate, comprising Merv and John Tasker, Robin Whiteford and Tim Shepherd, Smokestack Saxon could now head to Nottingham for the Arena Racing Company Puppy Classic.

 

Photos: Steve Nash