Links Maverick became the first greyhound to land the prestigious Stadium Bookmakers Pall Mall of Oxford Stadium’s new era in front of a packed crowd on Saturday evening.
Trained by Newcastle-based Tom Heilbron, Links Maverick never saw a rival in the 450m final when stealing a length lead from the traps after clocking a 3.90-second first sectional.
The two-year-old stretched his lead down the backstraight before taking the £20,000 prize by four lengths with Angie Kibble’s Eze placing second and Hawkfield Ozark third.
It marked Links Maverick’s second Category One triumph of 2023 after he won the Northern Puppy Derby at Newcastle in February.
A delighted Heilbron described his greyhound as “bomb proof” after the race and was thrilled for all connections.
“He’s bomb proof,” said Helibron. “He’s so good and never misses the start – I’d drive to the other side of the moon for this boy.
“We made a difficult decision not to run him in the Derby but winning the Pall Mall confirms to us that was the right decision. I’m over the moon. I genuinely believe he’s only getting better as well.
“He’s by far the best greyhound we’ve ever trained.”
The evening attracted the biggest crowd for greyhound racing at Oxford Stadium since the sport was reintroduced to Sandy Lane in September 2022 following a 10-year absence.
Heilbron said having Oxford back racing was fantastic news for the sport and was thrilled to etch Links Mavericks’ name in the venue’s history books.
He added: “Huge credit must go to Oxford Stadium for bringing this great competition back. It’s a superb track, and the atmosphere on the terraces is brilliant – the reception was tremendous.”
Saturday night greyhound racing returns to Oxford Stadium on Saturday, August 5, with the first race due off at 7pm.
