Get to know: Greyhound racing's best trainers

The sport of greyhound racing has certainly undergone a lot of changes in recent years. Once a popular pastime in the 20th century, popularity began to dwindle and consequently a lot of racetracks were forced to shut their doors. While the sport still has a dedicated following, the coronavirus pandemic had forced almost all races behind closed doors for the best part of 18 months, leading to some strange results for those greyhound betting with Betfair regularly during the lockdown periods.

Fortunately, some normality looks to be on the horizon and with the gradual easing of restrictions, spectators have been allowed back for a night out at the track after such a long absence. There’s plenty of big Category One races to get excited about including the Juvenile and prestigious English Greyhound Derby.

With the number of races taking place over the next few months a trainer certainly has their work cut out for them. The competitive and unpredictable nature of greyhound racing means the outcome of even the biggest races can be hard to call. The work of a trainer can sometimes go under the radar and often they don’t quite get the credit they deserve. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best trainers in greyhound racing at the moment.

Angela Harrison

Kicking things off with some recent success and Angela Harrison has enjoyed a bright start to the new year with victory in the Essex Vase thanks to a great performance from Coolavanny Aunty. The Alnwick trainer also won the 2019 British Trainers Championship, and will need to win at least one other Category One race to match the St Leger and Scurry Gold double she picked up last year to replicate her success this time around.

Patrick Janssens

The most recent winner of the English Greyhound Derby, current top-ranked trainer Patrick Janssens headed to Towcester with some optimism, but could hardly have expected Thorn Falcon to win and kennelmate Kilara Lion to finish second in a memorable summer in Northamptonshire. The Belgian has enjoyed seven wins from nine races on British soil, and bar a third-place finish in the semi-finals, has maintained a 100% win record with Thorn Falcon.

“For a big greyhound – he’s near 39 kilos – he drives the bends so well,” he said. “I knew he was well this week and he’s just improved with each run at Towcester. He has an amazing record here now – the Maiden Derby and then the Derby itself. It’s fantastic and is like winning the Champions League after winning the Premier League which was the trainer’s title.

Mark Wallis

In terms of sheer success and accomplishments, no one has won more than Mark Wallis. A stalwart in the UK champion Greyhound Trainer of the Year awards, Wallis has been crowned champion a record 12 times across a star-studded training career spanning almost 20 years. Last year the Derby may have eluded him, but he still picked up a fifth Essex Vase and TV Trophy as consolation and you’d expect him to be right up in contention again this year, looking for a first Derby win in a decade.