WICKY NED is not about to give up his Greyhound of the Year title easily judged on another major success in Monday’s Arena Racing Company Select Stakes at Nottingham.

The £12,500-to-the-winner one-off, for which the runners are chosen by the Greyhound Writers’ Association, featured a clash between Jimmy Fenwick’s Wicky Ned, Patrick Janssens’ Derby champion Droopys Plunge, and a host of other big-race winners for the prestigious 500m contest.

Lining up the 11-4 joint-favourite alongside the Janssens-trained Romeo Steel, a kennelmate of the Derby winner, a slick exit for Wicky Ned combined with a missed break from the British-bred saw Newcastle’s pride and joy hit the bend in front and thereafter he never looked likely to be beaten.

Producing a supreme show of all-round pace, the Neil McGregor-owned August 2022 36-kilo son of Droopys Sydney and Ballycowen Lucy kept up the gallop to the line to win by three lengths from Droopys Plunge in 29.22sec (+60).

The latter had worked his way into the contest down the far side before just struggling to get by kennelmate Romeo Steel as he began to tire approaching the fourth bend. The latter had shown electrifying pace to turn second behind Wicky Ned off a slow exit.

Chelms Bear (Craig Morris) finished third having run-up to Ireland’s Unananimouspanther 12 months previously with Slick Sentinel (Patrick Janssens), Romeo Steel and Ireland’s Silverhill Freya (Graham Holland) fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Winning trainer Jimmy Fenwick was delighted with the run of Wicky Ned.

“He’s good now after a muscle issue meant we missed the Irish Derby after trialling there,” he said. “Dundalk’s near-miss in the International was frustrating at the time but we’re proud of him looking back and will now come back to Nottingham for the (Arc) Birmingham Cup.

“Then I’d say we’ll have a crack at repeating last year – trying to win the Steel City Cup and All England Cup again! It’s not going to be easy but he’s outstanding this dog and we’re lucky to have him. We’re going to enjoy it wherever we go.”

Arc’s regional manager David Evans said: “Congratulations to Wicky Ned and the Fenwicks for a brilliant Arc Select Stakes win – and their win certainly made the trip back to the North East easier!

“It was a vintage Select Stakes with a particularly top-class winner. Well done to all our winners on a magnificent night’s racing here at Nottingham.”

 

Photos: © Steve Nash