Dog dodges horse course chase

So far the dog has evaded capture

A free bet worth £500 has been offered to anyone who can catch a stray collie running riot at Sedgefield Racecourse.

The collie - named Dwain after suspended Olympic sprinter Dwain Chambers - has evaded all attempts by racecourse staff to catch him.

Dwain has been spotted mooching around the County Durham track for about four months and has proved too quick for capture.

Amy Starkey, from Sedgefield Racecourse, said they wanted to find the collie a new home by Christmas.

She said: "He was spotted on the racecourse wandering around aimlessly.

Four of us tried to corner him but he was simply too quick for us, ducked around us like an England rugby player and he was away Jim Allen, general manager

"It became apparent he was a stray, various attempts were made to try and catch him but he evades capture still.

"The weather has now changed, it is colder and a lot darker and we would like to find him a new home for Christmas.

"He is small, black, got four white feet and he is a lovely little collie."

Jim Allen, general manager, said the dog had been named Dwain before his namesake was suspended pending a disciplinary hearing after testing positive for banned steroid THG.

Mr Allen said Dwain was fast on his paws and appealed to people for ideas to catch him.

Mistreated

He said so far one person had suggested walking around the racecourse with a dog on heat, and another said they would walk around with a couple of steaks tied to their feet.

Mr Allen added: "The whole staff abandoned the office one afternoon when we thought we were in with a good chance to catch him and we came within 10 metres of him.

"Four of us tried to corner him but he was simply too quick for us, ducked around us like an England rugby player and he was away.

"We haven't got that close since."

"No-one has come forward as his owner so we are quite convinced he is a stray.

"We are pretty sure that he has been mistreated in the past because if anyone goes near him he legs it in the opposite direction."