A new era is created when Henlow broadcasts its first meeting into UK betting shops. There is also a new schedule for RPGRV, they lose the popular ‘Romford Fridays’ but amongst the gains are Nottingham on Monday and Sheffield on Tuesdays. Poole is shown for the first time.
GBGB report a 6.5% increase in registrations in 2017 with 8,094 dogs registered, of which 6,767 (83.6%) were Irish bred and 1,327 (16.4%) were British bred.
Loggies Rosie (Godsend-Mays Maska, Apr 14) sets the first track record of the new year with a 36.85 run for Harlow’s 592 metres. Sadly, it is a short tale of woe with Simon Harms bitch only completing the course in another six races before being retired. Total career races, 14.
We are only 15 days into the new year when Mildenhall announces its closure for ‘financial reasons’. Badly hit by the loss of trainers in the media rights battle, the track had only been racing once a week and its most recent meeting only fielded 49 runners.
The first two open race competitions of the year go to Derek Knight’s Shotgun Bullet in the Coronation Cup and Patrick Janssens’ Goldies Hotspur in a double header at Romford. Derek Knight says Bullet reminds him of another course specialist, Fivestar Clipper, “They are very similar in many ways, particularly in terms of early pace and how they run Romford. For some reason, a lot of my dogs take to the track and like Clipper, Bullet wasn’t pulling up trees until we switched him but he has really kicked on since.” For the versatile Hotspur, it will be the first of five finals she will reach during the year including the Golden Jacket and TV Trophy.
In his Star column, Graham Holland is surveying his team for the big Unraced Stake at Tralee. He says: “Look out for Slippy Ciaran, Ballygowen Jake, Farrenheit Daz, Well Boots and Nice Charmer. If I had to pick one out, I would probably go for Newinn Blake.”
GBGB owners director Paul Ephremsen resigns for ‘two reason’. “the ‘significant challenges’ within his business combined with the hours involved in his role within GBGB and criticism from within the board who “have not appreciated some of the blogs and columns I have written in the last few months.”
John Walton announces plans to leave Belle Vue for Monmore, but Pat Rosney joins the Manchester track.
The Henlow Maiden Derby Final goes to Derek Law and Mark Lowther’s Bull Run Bolt whose career ends four races later at Towcester. Indeed the whole final line up makes for bleak reading. Bombers Bullet was the most successful fo the sextet going on to reach the English Derby Final, win a Champion Stakes and Grand Prix before breaking a hock at Shelbourne Park in November. Elegant Approach’s career lasted only six more races, Headford Octane’s only ran twice more. Eleven months on, Lookalike and Holdem Zidane remain in training.
