Nathan Hunt is one of the rising stars of the greyhound training ranks. In his latest exclusive column for oddschecker, the 26-year-old discusses Saturday’s upcoming final of the £10,000 Ladbrokes Gold Cup at Monmore, who he thinks will take home the coveted prize and also marks our card for some runners at Central Park on Sunday.

Hiya Boyo the one to beat in Ladbrokes Gold Cup Final at Monmore

The final of the Ladbrokes Gold Cup at Monmore looks a cracking race and credit must go to Ladbrokes for their sponsorship and to Monmore for hosting such a brilliant competition. All six dogs clearly have a chance in the final. It’s been a really well supported competition and I think the top six trainers in the country have all had a runner in it. I think the final, even though ante-post favourite Bockos Doomie is not there is high on quality and you would not be surprised if any of them won it. Three of the dogs have run under 28 seconds which highlights the quality on show.

Trap One Hiya Boyo (15/8) – When he comes away level with the other dogs, he is a very smart dog. He is ideally drawn in trap one in the final. They will probably be glad to be drawn on the inside and he looks like the one to beat. 

Trap Two Queen Jessiej (9/4) – Connections of Hiya Boyo will probably be glad to be drawn on the inside of Queen Jessiej who is running really well and she impressed in her semi-final.

Trap Three Seaglass Tiger (8/1) – The defending champion who needs to find a bit more to retain his crown. He is another dog who looks likely to come across to the rail and is not ideally drawn.

Trap Four Droopys Addition (4/1) – A high-class dog who won the semi-final in which we ran Dower Tyson. He will probably look to move towards the inside from the traps and he could inconvenience those on his inside 

Trap Five Bockos Boss (12/1) – Stayed on well to finish second to Hiya Boyo last time, but this demands more.

Trap Six Gonzo (5/1) – Gonzo is running really well and is a consistent dog. He is a fast dog, but he is giving away too much ground at the bends at the moment. If he can stop running wide, that could help his chances here.

VERDICT: Hiya Boyo - He should maintain the inside if he breaks well. He just looks to be the best drawn dog and that could prove crucial.