DRUIDS SAY GO heads for a crack at the Premier Greyhound Oaks at Perry Barr having struck Category One gold in the Click Competitions 78th East Anglian Greyhound Derby Final at Yarmouth with a fastest-of-the-year performance – and victory for Patrick Janssens’ star always looked likely once she came away running.

Proving a rare bitch winner of the seaside showpiece – the on-track highlight of a first Gone To The Dogs – Live! broadcast on YouTube – Druids Say Go also landed a second East Anglian Greyhound Derby title for trainer Janssens after a number of close calls in the famous race as he recalled afterwards.

“We’ve finished second a good few times and been beaten on the run-in when leading – that’s a long way home, and I know!” he joked, remembering Coolavanny Shado, Bockos Jon Jo and Kilmore Lemon, all of whom were caught close home when leading round the first bend. Thankfully this bitch stays well enough – she just keeps going.”

Well placed in the red-box for the £15,000-to-the-winner Category One decider, an unbeaten run through the three-round event always looked on the cards once starting quickly inside and soon edging her rivals into the bend, with a clear-cut advantage into the turn soon turning into a healthy advantage.

Only Getup Me Son (Carol Weatherall) was able to keep tabs with the now in-full-flow Druids Say Go but could never get close enough to strike a blow and the Janssens runner extended the lead and maintained the advantage to the winning line for a five-length success for the September 2021 daughter of Droopys Sydney and Druids Diana in 27.26sec – just nine spots off the 27.17sec track record for the 462m trip held jointly by Fear Zafonic (2010) and King Elvis (2018).

Victory for Druids Say Go landed her trainer Janssens a second East Anglian Greyhound Derby win after Kilara Lion’s 2020 triumph, with success for the Value Racing Club Co UK-owned runner making up for disappointment in the final of the Coral Golden Sprint at Romford in March in which she was a beaten favourite.

Janssens added: “She just missed it then and you cannot afford to do that over 400m at Romford but she’s got such a great record overall – just loves her racing and winning. She’s won 20 from 29 – that’s some record – and we’ve got to give her a crack at the Oaks now.

“Yarmouth is a great track – they can put on a show for the Derby here – and we like running ours dogs here. You need a certain type of dog. You need speed to get yourself in a good position but you need to get home and this girl has and we’re delighted.”

Other finals on the Click Competitions 78th East Anglian Greyhound Derby card went to Slick Serenity and Littlers Nuke.

Jason Bloomfield’s Slick Serenity – fastest of the year over the distance going into the final – battled to a narrow win over Acejukeboxpopper in the MWD Partnership Sprint Final in 16.29sec (normal), while John Mullins, trainer of the runner-up, then struck in the MWD Partnership Derby Purse Final with a one-two for the kennel as Littlers Nuke caught You Too in 40.68sec (normal).

Results: https://www.gbgb.org.uk/meeting/?meetingId=417387&raceId=1070137