Four second round heats of the Bet365 Puppy Oaks along with the two Gain Greyhound Nutrition Sovereign Stakes semi-finals take centre stage at Towcester racecourse this afternoon. They are further supported by a RPGTV English Puppy Derby Trial Stake and each of the races are previewed below by Mark Pierrepont –

BALLYMAC SLAPUP – Fancied to take semi-final 2 Photo: © Steve Nash

 

MAKEIT SWALLOW was known as Silverspring Lea when she lined up in a Greyhound Trader sales trial back in July and after a promising 3023 (-20) effort on her first look at the track she was subsequently purchased for what now looks a very reasonable £5900 and the Frank Gray trained bitch took her UK and career record to 3 wins from just 11 starts when landing her heat last week in determined fashion.  Not great away she tread carefully around the opening bends taking a middle to wide course and when she had to dig deep on the run in to claim Seamus Cahill’s My Girl Mia late on she did so.  Pulling clear to the pick-up in the style of a young bitch who might just find herself involved over 575m at Romford in the not-too-distant future.  That’s to come though and with eyes firmly on today Swallow can follow up last week’s winning run from what looks an absolutely plot draw on the wide outside.  With five greyhounds drawn to her inside that will all be seeking to take up track position much nearer the rail than anywhere else she can have the middle to outside of the track to herself.  The concern with races like this with similar make up’s is that the well-drawn runner cuts in too much or something fires out and gives them trouble but Swallow has enough pace to be right up with the running and she’s clever enough to hold her ground around the opening turns.  If she’s handy heading down the back straight then she will take some holding and is selected to grind out victory in heat one of the second round at 157pm.
Liz McNair’s Queen Pink and Angie Kibble’s Ballymac Mags look a fair way ahead of their rivals and will be priced as such when they line up in what could be one of the races of the day in heat two of the second round at 212pm.  That said there is a chance that they could come together and at the likely prices and from what looks a fair make up on the wide outside take a chance at what should be huge odds in the win market and likely decent enough odds in the place market on Kevin Boon’s BETTYS DIAMOND.  Last week’s heat runner up spot was a fair effort considering she blew up a little in the closing stages.  She should strip much fitter today and from what looks a nice make up she is worth a second look.
The third heat at 232pm is a competitive looking affair with a few of these drawn the wrong way around.  Patrick Janssens FABULOUS LYNX isn’t the most consistent at the start and might go through her career not winning as many races as her all-round pace suggests she should.  This is a race that she could well get an uncontested lead from and a reproduction of her winning course and distance effort from early September from the same trap 3 box that she lines up in today would be more than good enough.  Patrick will know she needs to break to qualify through to next week’s semi final and there aren’t many you’d rather have on your side when a break is needed.
Paul Matthews Irish raider BUBBLY BLUEBELLE landed her first-round heat in impressive fashion last week and from a similar draw in trap 1 today she can once again hold her pitch to the turn and if getting around in front she shouldn’t be for picking up.  Ballymac Mags tried to reel her in last week and although some ground was made up Bluebell was still in front heading into the pick-up.  She gives the impression she will improve for each run she has at the moment and though this is a very fair race she looks the one to beat.  Seamus Cahill’s My Girl Bella advertised her claims for this competition with a stunning first round heat victory but she will need to clear the selection by the first bend if she’s to have realistic claims of anything but a qualifying position in the fourth and final second round heat at 252pm.
Semi Final One of the Sovereign Stakes at 311pm and the betting once again is likely to revolve around Eric Cantillon’s Newtown Sydney.  Put these around in solos and it’s likely that Cantillon’s runner would produce the fastest clock but racing isn’t trialling and from an again ponderous draw in trap 1 and at the likely odds he’s opposed.  I suspect Sydney will drift in the betting and he may well reach a price that even given the draw he becomes a bet rather than a lay but without the benefit of hindsight I’m siding with Frank Gray’s PERFECTO STRING to get the job done from the ping box of trap 3.  He’s got a couple of 1570 efforts on his card not too long ago and the move back to the white jacket today can only be of benefit.
Mark Wallis’s Gougane Jet was a little disappointing in last week’s first round heat.  He was only moderately away but was close enough to have still won but for me didn’t quite show the same kind of sparkle he had in his previous undefeated 9 races.  He finished a tame third in the end and though it would be a fool to say he couldn’t quickly get back to winning ways there is likely to be plenty of juice about the price of John Mullins BALLYMAC SLAPUP as a result of his presence.  Slapup was right at his best with a dominant heat victory last week and a similar level of performance from a nice draw will render him tough to beat no matter what any of his rivals including Jet attempt to do about it.
Patrick Janssens ROMEO TOP CAT took full advantage of a drop in class to land an English Puppy Derby trial stake here last week and though today’s affair is tougher he can build upon that on route to the competition proper.  Still quite green in his running style he gives the impression that he will develop into a real nice type for 2023 and his 2963 (-10) winning effort last week shows that he definitely has ability.  The move to trap 4 today shouldn’t pose any problems and in fact may well be beneficial.  He can smash out and make all.