Canadian Pacific, a greyhound who has won around 25 races at Oxford Stadium over the last two years or more, has been shown the red card by the racing office.

Naturally, the connections and trainers are rather upset about it. After all, their decision that the dog lacks any track craft, has come a bit late in his career.

Now, the owner has a perfectly fit greyhound with nowhere to race, and a kennel bill to pay without any hope of winning any prize money.

Racing manager Gary Baiden said in a statement: "With regret, the owner of Canadian Pacific has been asked to remove the greyhound from Oxford.

"The greyhound lacked any track craft whatsoever and had a bad habit of diving to the rails on the run up and then checking very wide on the second bend.

"Recently, this resulted in Hey Bucko having to have a toe amputated after being forced onto the grass and hare rail by Canadian Pacific.

"It was decided that due to the welfare of other runners it was not possible to grade the greyhound any longer."

Canadian Pacific was given a solo run on Thursday in readiness for an open race elsewhere.

The remarks from the stewards were: Checked up at the second bend, not chasing.

  • THE threat of stiffer grading times still lingers after a total of 132 greyhounds were submitted for trials at Oxford Stadium.

There are kennels for only 105 hounds, and the problems are not getting any easier for the racing office.

The current strength is 368 with maximum races each week catering for 288.

Most impressive in the session was Robert Hannan's Agassi Charlie who posted 27.02 on his return from lameness.

Angie Kibble saw her broken-hock victim Ap- pleford Al getting back to his best.

The 2006 Greyhound of the Year in his first four bend spin, came home well clear in 27.43 and looks his old self.

Two of Kibble's new runners, Broadacres Lilly and Kingsbrook Tasha, both of whom have made great starts at Oxford, are in season and nursing a leg injury respectively.

  • MOST trainers want dogs as opposed to bitches in most litters, but not Ron Bicknell.

His former top grader Peace Emblem has whelped a litter of seven including six bitches to Irish Derby winner Razzle Dazzle Billy, who recently died of a heart attack.

It means the bitches will carry the sire's line in any future breeding purposes.