The ARC Northern Puppy Derby gets underway this evening at Newcastle with six first round heats. Traditionally a competition which throws up many top-class runners who go on to prove successful in all aged company this year’s event looks no different. For puppies whelped in March 2020 or younger the competition will be run over the next three Tuesdays with the 15th February final worth £10,000 to the winner.
HAVANA BALE OUT short priced antepost favourite ahead of tonights ARC Northern Puppy Derby first round Photo: © Steve Nash
Liz McNair’s bitch Havana Bale Out had tongues wagging before she’d ever set foot on a track in competitive action. Without a mark on her card in Ireland she was sent over the McNair team with a high appraisal. That assessment was backed up as she scorched around Central Park in late October over the 480m trip in a calculated 2872. Some run for an unraced pup and she went on to back that up with a number of high-class performances around Towcester both in preparation for and during the Puppy Derby. A 2912 effort when destroying second round opposition of that competition marked her out as a once in a lifetime bitch and though subsequently eliminated from the competition at the semi-final stage she remains exactly that. Off the card since this competition has been her target ever since and her 2816 calculated effort over this 480m course and distance showcase that she’s in top form. The run was head and shoulders above what some other high-class youngsters have produced around the track in their preparations and is the reason why despite the strength in depth Havana Bale Out has been placed into the antepost markets as a general even money favourite. She looks set to dominate in heat 1 at 641pm and the advice would be to simply watch and enjoy the performance of a bitch right out of the top drawer.
It’s not very often that bitches of the calibre of Bale Out come along but in the shape of Havana Lover it could well be that the McNair team have enough superstar lady on their hands. ‘Lover’ will line up as a hot favourite for heat 2 at 659pm and having recorded a calculated 2874 over Central Park’s 480m trip in mid-December it’s easy to see why she’ll do so. Her efforts around Newcastle in preparation trials have been very decent (2877 & 2865 calculated) without being as sensational as those of her kennel mate in heat 1. With a good 4 months of age on her side being an August 2020 whelp compared to the April 2020 of Bale Out and without a race on her card it’s not difficult to foresee that in a few months’ time this bitch could well become the leading rival to her superstar kennel mate. ‘Lover’ could well win heat 2 easily enough but at the likely price in a market which could well see her going off shorter than she even should be if as expected ‘Bale Out’ wins the first heat she’s one to watch rather than play. Droopys Odds On for local trainer Angela Harrison , bang in form after their Coolavanny Aunty won the Essex Vase at Romford last Friday , looks all set to be the main danger to McNair’s unraced pup. ‘Odds On’ is experienced around the venue and stays every inch of this trip and plenty further. At the likely prices he’s selected as a value alternative to ‘Lover’ and rates of particular interest in the place market.
Surprisingly Angela Harrison’s Droopys Decibel is yet to win around her home venue in seven starts here with the sole success of her career coming in her one and only start around Towcester in an English Puppy Derby trial stakes at the track in November. ‘Decibel’ was pulled out of the competition prior to her first-round engagement having been ‘bitten’. Luck hasn’t been on her side since either with a trouble marred run over 640m here at Newcastle seeing her finishing fourth behind Nice As Ice and then being brought down at the first turn in an A1 at the track early in January. She’s had just the one competitive race since which was an eye-catching defeat in another open but has shown her wellbeing recording 2861 in a trial here last week. ‘Decibel’ is pacey of that there is no doubt and in the medium term and maybe even sooner she’s likely to be campaigned over tougher tests of stamina more often than not. This heat 3 at 716pm however really is a great opportunity for her to shed her maiden tag and with any kind of run she should do so. Stuart Tighes Skidroes Buick looks the main danger he’s a nice type who ran out an impressive always led winner of an A1 around here a few weeks ago in 2872. The suspicion is that even if he gets a relatively soft lead in this race that will only serve to allow ‘Decibel’ the space in behind with which to build up her head of steam and she should prove far too strong on the run in. A straight forecast wouldn’t be the worst of bets.
Litter brother to ‘Decibel’ and similarly trained by Angela Harrison and her team is Droopys Biggy who is very likely to line up a short priced favourite for heat 4 at 734pm. Despite a similarly come from behind strong running style over this 480m trip ‘Biggy’ has enjoyed a fair amount more fortune so far in his fledgling career with 3 top grade wins accompanied by an open race success also around the venue. As to be expected in a solo trial he went very well last week stopping the clock in 2847. A reproduction of that kind of time under race conditions may not be so easy to accomplish however in a race of this nature he’ll not need to do so. He’s well drawn here with the majority of this field all preferring a middle to rails position on the track. So long as he treads carefully until heading onto the back straight and isn’t forced wide by something cannoning off from the inside then he will prove far too strong from the halfway point home.
Liz McNair unleashes another exciting unraced youngster in heat 5 at 751pm in the shape of August 2020 whelp Havana Robusto. Though he’s not done anything so flashy around Central Park in trials as his fairer sex kennel mates so far (2935 calc in sole 480m trial at Central) he’s got plenty of time to improve and it’s worth noting that at an early stage in a greyhound’s career the ladies are often more ready to produce a time than their larger male counterparts will be. ‘Robusto’ has trialled well here at Newcastle producing 2877 calculated in his second look around the venue and that kind of run should be good enough to win what is admittedly one of the weaker heats of the first round. Tom Heilbron’s Fourbet Layla is a strong running type around here and looks set to fill the forecast spot and again would be one that is of interest in the place markets.
The sixth and final heat of the first round at 806pm is probably the most competitive of them all. Pat Rosney’s Rock On Ronnie is bred out of his top-class staying bitch Looking Sharp and in time this dog’s future similarly looks to be over a tougher test of stamina to that which he faces here. He’s shown pace in his races so far over the sharp 480m of Perry Barr and though he has just the one victory to his name so far he’s suggested that he’s well capable of adding to that record before the inevitable step up in trip in coming months. He trialled well here last week and if he can just tag onto the coat tails of Tom Heilbron’s Innfield Trojan in the early stages then he can open up from the second bend home. The task of ‘Ronnie’ was made slightly easier during the week with the ‘in season’ withdrawal of Jason Bloomfield’s Whitings New Era with the neighbouring box of trap 3 now being vacant with no suitable reserve available.
