DROOPYS FLARE is odds-on to win this year’s £20,000 Premier Greyhound Racing St Leger, which gets under way at Dunstall Park on Saturday night.
Sean Parker’s recently crowned Coral Regency champion is looking to go one better in the staying Classic after finishing second behind Mongys Wild over 730m at Nottingham last year.
A total of 24 hopefuls will line up in the first staging of the St Leger at greyhound racing’s newest track, kicking off with four qualifiers over the 715m trip.
Entain brands Ladbrokes and Coral have chalked up the Sheffield raider at just 10-11 for the 715m prize. Multiple big-race winner Vhagar – who Droopys Flare clashes with in the opening round – is second favourite for champion trainer Mark Wallis at 9-2.
David Flanagan’s Irish Cambridgeshire runner-up Blackstone Cola is the sole entry from Ireland and is next in the betting at 7-1, while John Flaherty’s marathon star Greenwell Gypsy has attracted early support at big prices and is now 33-1.
Saturday’s star-studded fixture also features six first-round qualifiers for this year’s Arena Racing Company Birmingham Cup.
Jimmy Fenwick’s triple Category One champion Woltemade is the clear favourite at 100-30, with Maxine Locke’s classy Headford Dane next in at 9-2.
PGR St Leger
Ladbrokes and Coral: 10-11 Droopys Flare, 9-2 Vhagar, 7 Blackstone Cola, 9 Drombeg Flash, 14 Zenith Pasha, 20 Lets Go Girl, Droopys Bookem, 22 Tooreen Rose, 25 bar.
