WHYAYE MAN produced a powerful performance to claim gold in the RPGTV Derby Plate Final at Towcester on Saturday.

The £5,000-to-the-winner GBGB Category Two competition, for dogs knocked out in the early rounds of the Classic, played chief supporting role to the main event and was won by the Mark Wallis-trained, MWD Partnership-owned two-year-old but only after what proved a fascinating contest over 500m.

Rioja Joey (Kevin Hutton) trapped in front and led early but it was Brookside Richie (Jimmy Fenwick) who then paced up and slipped into the lead at the bend and looked to stretch them out, only for Whyaye Man to now launch a challenge.

The January 2021 son of Droopys Jet and Droopys Megan, led in the early exchanges, produced a cracking burst of middle pace to rail into a prominent position off the second turn and grabbed the leader down the back before going on.

Hitting the front rounding the penultimate turn, Whyaye Man was away and on his way to a three-and-a-quarter lengths success over the keeping-on Droopys Google (Nathan Hunt) in 29.11sec (-10), with Fromposttopillar finishing well in third.

An 11-10 favourite, Liz McNair’s Olympic champion was moderately away and crowded at the first and third bends before picking up well, albeit too late to trouble the principals.

Winning trainer Mark Wallis, who formed the owning MWD Partnership alongside Michelle Connolly and Mike Davis earlier this year, said: “It’s great to have a winner on such a great card. We didn’t have too many runners this year for obvious reasons, but will certainly be launching a bigger challenge next year!

“However, to win the RPGTV Derby Plate is superb – it’s the second most valuable race on the card and the line-up this year was one of the best I can remember.

“Whyaye Man hasn’t been with us for long, of course, so we’ve been learning about him pretty much through the Derby. You could have been forgiven for thinking he was quite a clumsy dog when he went out of the Derby, even though the speed was there for all to see when he won his first round heat – his debut for us!

“Tonight, however, he showed he actually has great trackcraft and took his chance really well. We’ll be looking at either the (Coral) Sussex Cup for him or possibly the (Time Greyhound Nutrition) Dundalk International should he get an invite.”

Clive Lawrence, executive producer at RPGTV, said: “Congratulations to Mark and well done to Whyaye Man – not to mention Emily (Wallis), who paraded him. Emily joins us as an analyst shortly at RPGTV and we look forward to her becoming part of the team.”

“Well done to the Hollands for their Derby success with Gaytime Nemo and hopefully everyone enjoyed RPGTV’s coverage throughout the Derby. It’s seven or eights weeks of hard work and preparation, but through an exceptional amount of broadcast and social media promotion hopefully we got across the passion that exists for our greatest race.”

Result: https://www.gbgb.org.uk/meeting/?meetingId=397451&raceId=940885