Excitement is building at Oxford Stadium with the racing office gearing itself up for an avalanche of entries for the £8,000 William Hill Pall Mall which gets under way on Thursday.

The race, won last year by Ernie Gaskin junior's Seomra Rock, is the first real classic group one race of the year.

Racing manager Gary Baiden expects the number of entries to break the 100 barrier by Monday's closing date.

"We have had only a dozen firm entries so far," he said.

"But in my experience we will be well over-subscribed for the 36-runner event come Monday.

"We ran what amounts to five trial stakes on Thursday night, and throughout the week 42 dogs will have been put through their paces.

"I anticipate as good an entry as we had last year, though I will be including a handful of local runners, which could involve Farloe Superb, but it depends on how he comes back from injury."

Others who could make it are Gotabetem and Arthurs Joy, the latter posting a superb 26.66 in trials for Dean Childs.

The final, with supporting opens, will take place on Tuesday, April 3.

While Oxford basks in record levels of hounds available for grading, the same cannot be said for the GRA'S premier circuit Wimbledon.

They are so short of runners that they are advertising for another trainer.

Both former Oxford handlers Bernie Doyle and Jason Foster moved to the south London track, but there are no moves from the Oxford staff hoping to join them.

Baiden has offered Wimbledon some inter-track races to help them out until the racing strength is back up to strength.

Saturday's Ladbrokes charity meeting went down a storm.

More than 800 attended and the main beneficiary, The Oxford Retired Greyhound Trust should get a big boost.

The Gilly Hepden-trained Tiddley Wink, a punters' favourite at Sandy Lane, and Coco Belle have been retired. They are both going to good homes.

Paddy Curtin's Farloe Kelt and Inaghs Poppy have also been retired.

Following advice from the new BGRB track safety committee, the bends have been re-cambered and more than 40 tonnes of new sand has been applied.

Trials which have suspended for the last two weeks resume on Monday.

Trainer Johnny Mayo's promising hurdler, Mass Destruction, is taking a short break from the jumping game before having a tilt at the Grade National at Wimbledon.

Slug and Lettuce, named after the pub chain, notched up his fourth straight success when winning the A6 on Tuesday for trainer Ian Wills.