ALLOWDALE BRUNO raised the roof at Sunderland on Wednesday as he scored a famous local success for veteran handler Harry Williams in the William Hill Classic Final – on a night when the £25,000 decider took centre-stage as the Hills-sponsored UK Festival of Racing came to a close at the north east venue.

A 10-1 chance, formerly trained at the track by Jackie Teal who joined in the celebrations at the presentation podium afterwards, Allowdale Bruno trapped smartly and, edging ahead of joint-favourite King Elvis on the dash to the bend, was clear of the crowding behind which involved most of the field.

Thereafter he was never headed, leading home 2016 Puppy Plate winner Blubbly Bluebird by two and a quarter lengths in a very fast 26.75sec for the 450m trip. King Elvis was third with kennelmate and the other joint-favourite King Turbo back in fifth, with Holdem Zidane (Carol Weatherall) just ahead of him.

However, it was success for Bishop Auckland-based handler Williams, a hugely respected figure within the sport, especially in the north east. He was part of the group who helped repel the property developers from closing Newcastle greyhound track a good few years back, helped by his great friend, Ian Lavery MP.

The former National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) leader is now Labour Party chairman and was quick to pay his own tribute to Williams after Wednesday’s success, commenting: “Harry is a legend of north east greyhound racing and I’m so delighted he’s won. He’s been a friend for many years – well done Harry and Rita!”

Rita Williams explained how they came by Allowdale Bruno which followed a trip to the Horse of the Year show in London last year with Jackie Teal. “Jackie asked me if I knew anyone who wanted to buy Bruno as he had won two A1s and the track said they were struggling to grade him, so I mentioned it to Harry and he said he’d buy him as a Xmas present for us.

“He then said he’d win the Sunderland Classic with him. I just laughed because he hadn’t run for a month due to the snow and cold so we just left him to settle in. He had a few races including at Newcastle and Pelaw, and then Harry entered him for a Trial Stakes to ensure he got into the Classic, and he won that.

“Harry and Jackie decided a wide seed would be best for him and, going into the competition, we knew his early pace and track knowledge was his ace card. I kept saying to Harry this dog is improving daily – he was loving his massages incidentally – and when he beat Droopys Expert we were starting to get excited.

“All he had to do was put his trapping boots on to give himself a chance. The massages were working to help a small problem Tom Peppercorn had detected, so we were hoping for the best. He’s only 30 kilos and generally such a quiet dog but driving to the track he kept barking in the van and we just smiled at each other – he wanted to get on with it!

“What a race he ran! Everyone at the track wished us well and the cheer for Harry was tremendous. We’re now just going to give him a little rest and see where we’re at. But the reception we got, especially for Harry, really was special and we thank each and everyone involved. It’s been a great night, one of the best we’ve had.”

A Sunderland spokesman added: “We’re all delighted for Harry. He’s a legend in these circles and has so much history in the sport. He’s trained some amazing dogs from New Level to Pond Hurricane, Boherbradda Mac to Blue Artisan. He took a step back from training – until Bruno came along! – but is still involved in breeding and we hope to see him back again soon. Rita and Harry will always be welcome here.”

http://www.gbgb.org.uk/resultsMeeting.aspx?id=161035