Oxford trainer Dean Childs is planning a four-pronged assault on this year's £100,000 Greyhound Derby.

Although it costs £300 to enter the sport's Blue Riband, which will take place at Wimbledon in June, Childs is entering Arthurs Joy, Target Harry, Illwalktheline and Droopys Nelson for the race.

Another Oxford trainer, Gilly Hepden, is considering entering Gotabem.

Ian Wills could be adding to the Oxford representation with his latest acquistion, Crownville Cosmo, who is by Australian wonder dog Brett Lee, who charges £5,000 a mating.

Meanwhile, in-form Wills is over the moon with his top-class bitch Big Woman, who has just whelped three dogs and five bitches by Droopys Maldini.

  • Oxford are to stage a £1,000 event for British-bred greyhounds.

This is thanks to the British Greyhound Breeders Forum, who are able to sponsor the race thanks to continued support from the British Greyhound Racing Fund.

And it's not only the winner who will benefit, as every runner plus the breeder of the winning hound will receive prize money.

The winner gets £500 plus a trophy, while the runner-up receives £100 and £50 goes to each to the other finalists, with the winner's breeder and trainer getting £100 each.

Oxford hope to stage the race in the next month.

  • The Trafalgar Cup, usually Oxford's first big race of the year, will be staged at a later date than usual this year. It is expected to be run in April or May.
  • Trainer Michael Peterson and his partner Sabrina Allen are the proud parents of a bouncing boy named Calum.

Peterson, who is the third generation of the family to train at Cowley, will be hoping that Calum extends the tradition.

  • The Oxford Owners Association will stage their monthly all trophy meeting next Tuesday. Only winning owners who are members will receive trophies.
  • The percentage of winning favourites in February was 29.2 per cent with the average price 9-4. Average price of a winner overall was 4-1.

The middle traps dominated with trap three and four producing 60 and 62 winners respectively. The rest were 1 (50), 2 (32), 5 (41), 6 (36).

  • Nice to see trainer Johnny Mayo's Mass Destruction continue his hurdling progress with an open race win at Reading, while Mayo re- corded a treble at Wednesday's BAGS meeting.
  • There will be no trials on Monday due to speedway practice.