Droopys Plunge wins Hove's Gold Collar

Droopys Plunge returned to Category One winning form at Hove on Sunday, taking the Coral Gold Collar for Patrick Janssens with a performance built on an immediate advantage. The 2025 English Derby winner led throughout the 500 metres and stopped the clock at 28.76sec.

Forgottotellya finished two and three-quarter lengths behind him, with Romeo Tomcat third. For Janssens, it meant two runners in the first three and another major prize for a dog whose Derby success had already secured his place in the sport's recent history.

The result behind the headline

Hove's official results sheet records the decisive details:

Gold Collar final	Greyhound
First	Droopys Plunge
Second	Forgottotellya
Third	Romeo Tomcat

The winner broke from trap one, recorded a 3.40sec sectional and was in front at every recorded bend. His race comment describes a quick start, a rails position and an uninterrupted lead. The first prize was £10,000, distinct from the £15,000 total prize fund for the final.

Those details make this a clear account of how the race was won, rather than simply a famous name returning to the honours list. Plunge secured the position he needed early and kept it. The finishing time supplies the outcome; the sectional and bend positions explain the shape of the contest.

A familiar champion, a different challenge

Matt Newman's Greyhound News UK report identifies this as Plunge's first Category One victory since his Derby win. Newman places particular emphasis on the Janssens team's work in bringing him back to this level, and on the advantage of getting clear on the inside.

That is a more useful way to frame the result than treating a previous championship as a guarantee. A Derby winner still has to negotiate the break, establish a position and reproduce his ability against the opposition in front of him. Past achievement does not do any of those jobs on race day.

Newman also highlights the recent consistency of Mark Wallis's Forgottotellya, who split the Janssens pair. The runner-up therefore belongs in the account as more than the name after the winner. Romeo Tomcat's third place completed the kennel's contribution to the podium, while Bikini Bullet finished fourth.

There are no new trainer quotations in this report. The race account is drawn from the published official record, with the specialist assessment attributed separately.

Why the two Hove competitions need separating

The Gold Collar was not the only major competition on Sunday's programme. The meeting also staged the semi-finals of the George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial over 740 metres. Vhagar, Candolim Typhoon and Zenith Boom won those races; the official sheet specifies a final on Saturday 14 November.

That timetable is important. The Gold Collar has a champion, while the staying competition still has its deciding race to come. Describing the whole afternoon as a completed double-header would blur two different stages of competition.

In its 31 October preview, GBGB explained the thinking behind pairing the events. Hove racing manager Rob Abrey discussed the value of Sunday-afternoon racing across the bonfire-night period, the strength of the entries and the local connection to George Curtis and Ballyregan Bob.

The preview originally anticipated both finals on 8 November. Sunday's results are the later, authoritative record of what actually took place. An earlier programme is useful background, but it should not override a subsequent results sheet when explaining the remaining schedule.

For readers following the next stage, keep the distance and competition name alongside any form notes. A 500-metre final and a 740-metre semi-final answer different questions, even when they share a card. Our guide to reading greyhound race form explains how to keep that context intact.

Follow our greyhound racing news for further coverage. Plunge's Gold Collar is settled; Hove still has another major final ahead.