AN Annan greyhound owner is delighted after his dog claimed victory in one of the most prestigious racing events in the country.
John Metcalfe — better known as Baba — and his wife Karen travelled down to watch Watchhall Sid compete in the Category One £10,000 BGBF British Bred Puppy Cup Final in Oxford last Friday night.
And it turned out to be a convincing victory for Sid. He was ahead right from the start after coming out of trap six. In the end he won by almost seven lengths in 27.19s (-10).
He qualified into A5 at Newcastle last November and has now won six of his 11 races. He is trained by Carl Jackson over in Darlington.
Sid was also set to race last night in the ARC Northern Puppy Derby first round in Newcastle. There he will be one of the youngest in the race, but nevertheless a serious contender after his win in Oxford.
Named after John’s late friend Sid Little who sadly passed away, Sid was bred in Annan in June 2021. There was nine in the litter from mother Watchhall Winnie and they all look like ones to follow — including Sid’s sister Watchhall Annie.
Sid’s grandmother was the very successful Skate On. She was owned by John and later sold where she went on to become brood bitch of the year in Britain for four years running.
Sid looks like he has the potential to be just as successful, although John is taking it one race at a time.
He said: “Sid has definitely got a fan club in Annan.
“I travelled down to Oxford to watch him running and lost my voice from shouting him on.
“I’ve had a few good ones over the years, but this one is special.
“The next race is the ARC Puppy Derby at Newcastle and we’ll take it from there.”
n John has been involved with greyhound racing for 35 years and has enjoyed success in the past. Since the closure of tracks in Scotland he has been left with no choice but to go up against the big guns in England.
