Greyhound racing: Big winners at Towcester since its reopening

It seems like a lifetime ago that Towcester racetrack announced it was being redeveloped. Two years and a global pandemic later and the Northamptonshire town finally opened its doors and welcomed spectators back inside for their greyhound racing fix. We’ve seen plenty of great races so far in the seven months since its reopening, with racing’s dedicated audience eager to get back and place a Betdaq greyhound bet. Read on, as we go through some of the best races Towcester had to offer in 2021, with plenty of action to look forward to this year as the greyhound calendar resets once again.

Bockos Jon Jo – Northamptonshire Sprint

One of the first Category One races back at Towcester was the Northamptonshire Sprint. Originally set to take place in January, coronavirus restrictions postponed the tracks opening and when it eventually moved to April after further postponements, it was certainly worth the wait. The race waswon by the Patrick Janssens-trained Bockos Jon Jo. It was a tough race but he saw off worthy competition to pick up the £5,000 prize.

Speaking proudly post-race, part-owner Box said: “He’s probably the fastest dog myself and Bev have had – he just has this massive burst of pace. I’m certainly tempted by the Derby. We know he runs the track well and rails brilliantly, but that’s for down the line.

“It’s just great as owners we’re been here tonight to see the dogs run. It makes all the difference and hopefully we’ll be back cheering on our runners throughout the year – we’re hoping to have at least four runners in the Derby.”

Thorn Falcon – Maiden Derby

It was to be another win for Janssens, setting up an impressive calendar year as he took home the KAB Maiden Derby with Thorn Falcon. After a fast start and handling the overcrowded turns well, everyone thought Tommys Ranger would go on to control proceedings in this frantic 500-metre dash, but the persistence and longevity of the two-year-old Thorn Falcon,who already boasted an impressive winning record heading into this one, did enough to see out the victory and make it a Category One treble for Jansesns — but more on that later.

Space Jet –Marathon Trophy

It had been a long time coming, but finally spectators were consistently piling back into Towcester for the Marathon Trophy. After a summer where coronavirus restrictions were lifted an audience was on hand to watch Space Jet take home the £10,000 prize. The competition is much shorter than some of the other Category One races, something that sponsor Mitch Brenner believes made for a special occasion and that Space Jet’s win was certainly a shock.

“The structure of the competition in having only two semi-finals was very important to me as I feel it gives the better dogs more chance to reach the final

“I did it in conjunction with Towcester because the facilities there are streets ahead of anywhere else and the setting is just amazing” He said: “The event itself turned out to be as good a marathon final as you’d wish to see with a worthy winner in Space Jet – who proved me wrong! I actually didn’t think she’d stay that distance three weekends on the trot, but she did really well.”

Thorn Falcon – English Greyhound Derby

Towcester really has been dominated by the Belgian Janssens since reopening and victory in the English Greyhound Derby, perhaps the most prestigious race on the entire greyhound calendar, really cemented his position as the sport’s finest trainer based on win percentages and current form. The race was finally back at Towcester after two years away at Nottingham and with spectators back in attendance, excitement was in the air.

Everyone is well aware of the whopping £175,000 prize for the winner and after coming out on top this year, Thorn Falcon writes his name in the history books, finishing with an impressive time of 29.06 to see off kennelmate Kilara Lion and Pat Buckley’s Deerjet Sydney.

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