150 yards straights. Superstars Veteran Sprint: 150 yards straights at ½yd/lb & yd/yr.
The Whippet Meadow, Detling

Very much an end-of-an-era feel as this meeting is likely to be the last ever run here. The weather was suitably funereal to match, you’d never have played a game of cricket in that light, although it did stay dry all the way through the racing and in truth it was ideal temperature for the dogs with lovely soft ground. At one point in the afternoon someone pointed out a tiny patch of blue sky but then someone else said it had already missed us!
It was lovely to see Gary and Carolyn Baldock, in fact the old Maidstone canteen crew was present and on duty at “Whippy’s Cafe”! Therefore, it was fitting that Gaz as former WCRA and Maidstone Racing Manager kindly presented the prizes.
There were two new Racing Champions “made up”, Viv Thurman’s Gunna Be A Devil and Jean Goode’s Kai-Kai. The run of the day was WCRCh Polly Flinders in taking the 22lb final and the Fastest Time Rosette – she really did look impressive.
After Angie Parker’s WCRCh Sapphire’s Peridot ran a solo to win the 16lb group, Liz Villis’ WCRCh Ameesha Little Ebs picked up her tenth weight group win in the not exceeding 18lbs. The Thomsons’ young half-coat Blue Kinda Hot ‘N’ Gorg’ (still a youngster) was an excellent second; they had a ten-hour journey south on the Saturday after having stayed up overnight on Friday to be at the birth of their bitch’s litter of puppies then travel back to Scotland on Sunday as Mandy had to be back at work on the Monday; so in the circumstances a fine achievement for both their whippets to be runners-up in their respective groups.
Dave and Myra Sawyer’s WCRCh Vino won the 20lb group like the racer she is, clawing her way through the field and coming home half a length up. The runner-up, Twilight Twiggy is a youngster from a slow-maturing litter so watch this space, Kevin and Keeley have gone carefully with her.
The 22lb final would have been a blanket finish without Polly Flinders; she stormed home by a good five lengths while behind her, Dizzy Rascal ran well to pip WCRCh Sapphire’s Ruby Queen for second. WCRCh Sapphire’s Tanzanite Queen was unbeaten in the 24lb group with Jean Goode’s fast right-handed runner Oh So Sharp a good second.
Jeff and Pat Bochenek must be looking forward to 2018 with two terrific young dogs who’ve already given them a lot of fun. The Artful Dodger has placed consistently in the 32lb group this summer while in the 26lbs, Jammy Dodger is now a “half-coat” and only at the second attempt – he was second last time to Blue He’s Mia’s Boy but this time reversed the placings.
The 28lb group was tight, they gave us a great race to watch. Pat Gant’s WCRCh Scallywag led from trap to line but it was a battle all the way for him to chisel out his twelfth weight class win. Ian German’s half coat Radar ran superbly in his first races after fifteen months out with serious injury. It’s been a long, fraught road – a story of careful nursing, setbacks, perseverance, tentative handslips on the track, gradually building – and almost a fairy tale ending.
The 30lb weight class was billed as a rematch between Viv Thurman’s Gunna Be A Devil and Pat Gant’s WCRCh Nip ‘N’ Tuck, who just won last time but sadly this time around was ruled out by a gracilis injury so Viv’s dog ran solo.
Kai-Kai has struggled with muscle injuries for a while now (he’ll be five in December) but Jean’s been patient and has managed to get him back close to his peak. In the 32lb final, he trapped fast and held that one length advantage over The Cooler King all the way to the line to gain his racing champion title.
The Veteran Sprint closed out three years of Championships at The Whippet Meadow. The Hunters’ VC Zula Go-Quick took the 14-20lb group, Carol Brown’s Satin Sings the 21-23lb and VC Winterfell Arfa Must Dash the 27-32lb final. In this the last race, VC Winterfell Lay Dee Gray (second) and VC Guye’s Gone Fishing (fourth) both close to their tenth birthdays, finished off their Open careers, sound; a credit to their owners.
A big ‘Thank You’ to Ian and the ground team for their hard work; the meeting ran smoothly and the only re-run was for a loose dog.
Report by Mark Etheridge / 03Oct17
Note: Photographs not all from this particular championships.
Results
Main Weight Groups
NE 16lb
- WCRCh Sapphire’s Peridot (Chalkners Flaming Arrow x Sunlay Sapphire’s Gem) Owner: A.Parker. Time: 9.87
NE 18lb
- WCRCh Ameesha Little Ebs (Busby Babe x Stokecourcy Hazel at Ameesha) Owner: E. Villis. Time: 9.56
- Blue Kinda Hot ‘n’ Gorg’
- WCRCh Sapphire’s Queen’s Pearl
- WCRCh Great Fun
NE 20lb
- WCRCh Vino (Busby Babe x Gypsy Cream) Owners: D & M Sawyer. Time: 9.62
- Twilight Twiggy
- Wilsdon Little Mac
- *Satin Secret
NE 22lb
- WCRCh Polly Flinders (Chalkners Flaming Arrow x Our Little Dink) Owner: G. Cairns. Time: 9.24
- Dizzy Rascal
- WCRCh Sapphire’s Ruby Queen
- Jessie-J
NE 24lb
- WCRCh Sapphire’s Tanzanite Queen (Bethnal Green Boy x Sunlay Queens Topaz) Owner: A. Parker. Time: 9.39
- Oh So Sharp
- Secret Smile
- *Cosmic Chaser
NE 26lb
- *Jammy Dodger (Bethnal Green Boy x Sunlay Queens Topaz) Owners: J & P Bochenek. Time: 9.33
- *Blue He’s Mia’s Boy
- Trueloveways
- Winterfell Crazy Lay Dee
NE 28lb
- WCRCh Scallywag (Drawn To Me x Carlstream Popstar) Owner: P. Gant. Time: 9.34
- *Radar
- WCRCh Zola Go-Quick
NE 30lb
- WCRCh(s) Gunna Be A Devil (Busby Babe x Sunlay Queens Topaz) Owner: V. Thurman. Time: 9.41
NE 32lb
- WCRCh Kai Kai (Chalkners Flaming Arrow x Goodad Star Addition) Owner: J. Goode. Time: 9.26
- *The Cooler King
- Artful Dodger
Superstars Veteran Sprint
N/E 20 lb
- VC *Zula Go-Quick (Breakingbury Triple Seven x Matchington Summersweet) Owners: D & L Hunter. Time: 10.40
- VC Winterfell Hellfire
- Guye’s Goldilocks
NE 23lb
- Satin Sings (Sunlay Theatre of Dreams x Goodad Chic of Carlstream) Owner: C. Brown. Time: 10.11
- Fangdangle
NE 32lb
- VC Winterfell Arfa Must Dash (Busby Babe x Winterfell Tinkerbelle) Owner: S. Layfield. Time: 9.82
- VC Winterfell Lay Dee Gray
- Harib ‘O’
- Guye’s Gone Fishing