A spectacular late lunge removed the bridesmaid tag from No Rush at Perry Barr Stadium on Saturday night as she claimed her first Category One success in the Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks.
Carol Weatherall’s talented three-year-old denied the Kevin Hutton trained Jet Stream Angel in the final strides to win the £20,000 prize by half-a-length in 28.18 seconds.
It ended a run of 11 Category One, Two or Three final appearances dating back to May 2022 where No Rush had been left behind at the conclusion of a major competition.
And timing was of the essence as co-owner John Purdy revealed after the race that she had ran her final race in the UK with a possible trip to Ireland between her and retirement.
Reacting to No Rush’s win, John conceded he thought she had been beaten at first – only to realise the outcome of the photo finish some 20 seconds after all greyhounds had crossed the line.
“I thought she was beat,” said John. “But she’s so game – a brilliant bitch. She had reached so many finals, but never won one – we always seemed to bump into a greyhound who was just too quick for her.
“This was written in the stars really, she took to the track really well and this was her last race in the UK. We’ll consider taking her for one final run in Ireland but otherwise we’ll look forward to hopefully breeding some future champions from her.”
Elsewhere on the night Mark Wallis’ Quarteira triumphed in the Arena Racing Company Scurry Gold Cup.
The two-year-old wasn’t the sharpest away from the traps, but demonstrated extraordinary pace to the first bend to win the £6,000 first prize comfortably by a length-and-three-quarters from Headford Sonny with Laughil Flash third.
Daniel Wallis, son of Mark, said: “He’s not the fastest starter in the world, but he’s taken to the track really well and showed great speed to the first bend.
“We’re delighted to get a competition win into him. Some greyhounds can adapt quickly to different tracks and he’s done that which is really pleasing.”
Greyhound racing returns to Perry Barr Stadium on Monday and Tuesday morning plus Thursday evening with tickets on sale now via https://www.perrybarr-greyhounds.co.uk/. Racegoers are reminded there is no Saturday fixture next week (November 4) owing to planned fireworks displays locally.
Race results:
Arena Racing Company Puppy Dash – Bettys Jack
Arena Racing Company Winner of One – Acomb Johnny
Arena Racing Company Marathon – Tommys Dove
Arena Racing Company Maiden Stayers – Haka Carlo
Arena Racing Company Super Stayers – Savana Heross
Premier Greyhound Racing Dash – Cappaneale Rocky
Premier Greyhound Racing Bitches – Acomb Irene
Premier Greyhound Racing Stayers – Pomba Jake
Premier Greyhound Racing Standard – Signet Goofy
2023 Arena Racing Company Scurry Gold Cup – Quarteira
2023 Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks – No Rush
Arena Racing Company Maiden Trophy Final – Antigua Eclipse
