HEIRESS CROWNS A REMARKABLE YEAR

Ian Fortune

Proper Heiress put the cherry on top of a remarkable year at Hove on Saturday evening, producing another stunning run to emerge a wide-margin winner of the Coral Olympic.

In doing so, he also created history, becoming the first greyhound to successfully defend his title since the inaugural running of the famous event in 1947.

Of course, Proper Heiress was a finalist in the BOYLE Sports Derby in September but his achievements across the Irish Sea are particularly notable. His latest victory was his fifth category 1 success of the year after winning the Winter Derby at Monmore in February, the Kent Plate at Central Park in late March, the Sussex Cup at Hove in early August and the Eclipse at Nottingham last month.

On top of all that, he beat some of the very best in training including 2024 BOYLE Sports Derby champion Bockos Diamond in the Juvenile Championship at Towcester in April.

Given all the evidence at hand, it is perhaps no surprise to hear that fifteen-time Champion Trainer (soon to be 16) Mark Wallis has proclaimed him as the best he has ever trained.

Speaking to the Racing Post Wallis said, “Without a doubt he is the best we have had at Imperial Kennels, but I think he must now rank among the best in the history of the sport.

“He has already achieved a remarkable amount with six Category Ones [five this year] plus a Juvenile, as well as his run to the Irish Derby final – but he is not finished yet!

“He was clinical again at Hove, we took a bit of a chance with the Olympic coming so fast off the back of his Eclipse win – but thankfully it paid off.”

And what of the future for the September ’22 whelp? Wallis confirmed that the English Derby would be his main target in 2026. He is already amongst the favourites to land the classic but he will no doubt face a very tough challenge from a large Irish raiding party.

Well done to all involved in Proper Heiress. He is without doubt the fastest and most consistent greyhound in training in the UK and that could continue to be the case for a while yet.