OWNERS Mark White and Keith Leadbetter are celebrating after their brindle bitch Southlodge Rage romped home in the £2,500 William Hill Greyhound Cesarewitch at Peterborough.

What made then even happier was the shrewd taking of 7-1 ante-post for Rage to come out on top.

The brindle, by Raging Prince-Southlodge Lady, trained by Oxford's top open race trainer Nick Colton, celebrated her fourth birthday with a picture session at the track on Tuesday.

Rage is no stranger to success. Among her 36 open race victories are the Reading Hunt Cup, while she was a finalist and semi-finalist in the Oaks, finalist in the Prestige Stakes at Hall Green, and winner of the Isherwood Trophy at Oxford.

She also reached the final of the Peterborough Cesarewitch last year and the Queen Mother Stakes, but was withdrawn after going lame.

Rage has been with Colton for the last two years, and won the big one on Saturday by half a length in 38.16secs after encountering trouble on the fourth bend. Without that, she would have been close to the track record.

In one run at Oxford, she did break the track record for six bends, but at the end of the meeting the stewards adjusted the going by ten spots, thus denying her another place in the record books.

Now a winner of more than £6,000 in prize money, she will be aimed at the Cesarewitch at her home track and few would bet against her in this kind of form.

The owners intend to keep her up to the mark until she breaks down and then she will go to Ireland as a brood bitch.

The William Hill Cesarewitch final takes place on Tuesday, July 22 and will be covered live by Sky Sports.