HAVANA LOVER, trained by Liz McNair for the KSS Syndicate, is the RPGTV/GWA Greyhound of the Month for September after her unbeaten run through the Premier Greyhound Racing St Leger at Perry Barr.

 

Currently engaged in the Stadium Bookmakers Hunt Cup at Towcester where the August 2020 daughter of Laughil Blake and Love Honey lines up in Sunday’s final, Havana Lover came out on top in a vote of GWA members to make it back-to-back monthly wins for the McNair team after Warzone Tom’s success in August.

 

Clive Lawrence, executive producer at award sponsors RPGTV, said: “There’s no question Liz and Rab McNair’s team are the in-form kennel just now and well done to them, Brendan Keogh and the KSS Syndicate. They’re winning major events and breaking track records for fun – and being awarded back-to-back Greyhound of the Months is fantastic.

 

“Havana Lover was brilliant during the St Leger and just has the ideal mix of speed and stamina which is needed to win a St Leger. It makes her a real champion in the sport to have won the stayers’ Classic and her form has continued to Towcester – where she’s also set a new track record for six bends.

 

“Indeed such is the form of the kennel we’ve sent our cameras back down to Liz and Rab’s kennels this week to catch up with their stars who are having such a great time of it – everywhere it seems!”

 

Martin Seal, racing manager for Perry Barr, added his own tribute to Havana Lover’s success at the Birmingham track, commenting: “It was a superb St Leger, the first under the Premier Greyhound Racing banner, and we had a brilliant final with Havana Lover having to be at her best to beat two of Diane Henry’s in Savana Volcano and Savana Ruinart.

 

“This was the seventh time we’ve hosted the St Leger, and we’re immensely proud to do so, and having two Category One competitions running alongside each other with the M Lambe Birmingham Cup on at the same time works really well.”

 

In lifting the September award, Havana Lover edged out other nominations Fabulous Azurra (Patrick Janssens), Hopes Paddington (Mark Walis), Ivanexile (Matt Dartnall), Romeo Hotshot (David Mullins) and Signet Denver (Kevin Hutton).