Alnwick dog favourite in Greyhound Derby

Droopys Verve, who is trained in Alnwick, has qualified for the English Greyhound Derby Final at Towcester on Saturday, and he is favourite to win the £175,000 first prize.

He is currently at 6-4 favourite with the bookies, but this is a price which is likely to fluctuate before the dogs go to the start.

Droopys Verve, who is two years old, is owned by North East businessman Neil Conlon and his family, who last September won the Ladbrokes Gold Cup at the Monmore Stadium in Wolverhampton.

The English Greyhound Derby, which has been competed for now for more than 90 years, is one of the top races in the country.

It was previously held at the iconic Wimbledon greyhound track, but for the past two years has been staged at Towcester.

To qualify, Droopys Verve has had to come through five qualifying races, all held at Towcester, the last of which was the semi-final on Saturday.

So far, he has had four wins and a second place, so he goes into the final showing a good run of form.

Alnwick Greyhounds, which is based at Greensfield Moor Farm, is run by Angela Harrison and Jimmy Wright, who have a team of five helping them out.

Angela is the trainer and Jimmy, who has worked at other kennels in the UK and Australia, has a wealth of experience.

The facilities at Alnwick provide a relaxed working environment as dogs train for races at Newcastle and throughout the country.