Adelinesfirstdog sprung a major shock when taking the 2026 Steel City Cup at Owlerton Stadium.
The 18 October Sheffield greyhound racing showpiece, worth £12,500 to the winner, was part of a four-timer for West Midlands-based trainer Richie Taberner.
In the race programme before the start, the trainer said: “He is just a young dog, and he is still a bit backwards, but he’s improving nicely and just coming to hand.
“He is getting stronger all the time and could be a surprise package.”
Taberner trained three of the six runners in the race yet not the 11/10 favourite, Greyhound of the Year contender Woltemade.
Woltemade’s trainer Jimmy Fenwick had beforehand described trap five as ‘lucky’ for the dog, who had won four previous Category One races this year and ran an impressive race in a Steel City Cup Semi Final.
The favourite had sought to take the lead from trap five but was kept from going the shortest way on the rail by the eventual winner from trap two.
Woltemade was kept wide by the winner’s kennel-mate Moanteen Hatton, who ended up finishing second, leaving Adelinesfirstdog to spring a 22/1 shock by three lengths.
Taberner’s day got even better after Aero Hope took the following Betgoodwin Ladies Race, with Aero Replace and Aero Noduff also winners earlier in the day.
The race day also saw drama after Race 3 was voided when the hare, used to give the greyhounds something to chase, malfunctioned.
The Steel City Cup was inaugurated in 1970 and has been won by many top-class greyhounds, including 2024 Greyhound of the Year Wicky Ned who retired after winning a Sheffield race in September.
Image Credit: Thomas Carter
