As a fixture, it has no comparison. The Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket – Crayford – Saturday lunchtime – iconic.
This is the 37th time that Crayford have hosted the event, the first being over 540m. So is there anything that we can learn to point us in the direction of picking the winner?
Favourites have won just eight of the last 20 finals, plus one joint favourite, though six of the last 10, plus the jt.fav, have gone to the market leader.
Traps 1 and 4 each have five wins from the last 20 finals, with no winner from the orange box. In fact, you have to go back to 1996 and Coolmona Road to find the last T5 winner.
The winning times have varied greatly in the last two decades. Centour Corker set a new track record of 44.74 back in 2003, which was bettered by 2004 winner Midway Tomsscout, though 45.00 has only been broken on in six subsequent finals since: White Soks Rocks (44.58), Wiki Waki Woo (44.99), Patchys Kerry (44.94), Shotgun Bullet (44.95), Skilful Sandy (44.87), and Bellmore Sally (44.81).
But if you really want to get under the bonnet in search of a winner, this might be a big clue in the sectionals. With going fluctuating so much, times alone don’t help. For example, when Bush Paddy won the 2011 final, the track was running -160 for the 714m and his sectional was a mere 24.05.
However, starting in 2003, and in chronological order, here are the positions of the eventual winners after the first 380 metres: 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st.
Roll On Sydney: The outsider of the field, generally trading at around 14-1. He ran from trap two in the opening heat, and ran on gamely to qualify without ever getting close to the winner. In the semi finals, he went from trap four and was never seen with a chance behind Bellmore Sally. But don’t let those runs fool you into thinking that he is outclassed in this company. Just before Christmas he clocked 35.02 at Romford (575m) and has a 29.28 (480) calculated run, albeit in trial, on going that might not have been too testing for him, at Central Park.
But the real clinchers are a couple of runs over 712m at Towcester when he clocked two calculated 43.50 runs when beating Antigua Lava and Night Time Danny. Significantly, both victories came with a series of 1-1-1-1 sectionals including a 15.90 split for the sprint. Maybe, he doesn’t run Crayford! Or maybe, he will be a different hound with a fast break and with Minnie Bullet likely to move middle on the run-up, he should get a clear run on the rail.
Minnie Bullet: Sold privately by Greyhound Trader, Bullet was unraced in Ireland and was thrown into open class for her Towcester debut. She was beaten in her first six races, though only narrowly failed to make the Puppy Classic Final at Nottingham. She made steady progress throughout the autumn before landing the Bet365 Puppy Oaks at Towcester in November.
She made her six bend debut at Romford, clocking a calculated 34.98 in the semi finals of the Essex Vase before running third in the final. Her entire Crayford is in the top three lines of her card. Although she had never been further than 575m, a smart trial behind the brilliant Antigua Sugar persuaded trainer Wallis that Bullet was worth a chance in the Jacket.
She went from the black jacket in the first round where she clocked the fastest of the six heat winners. Not as slickly away as she might, Bullet’s early pace told, and any question marks about her stamina were answered emphatically. Now the clear ante post favourite, she went from red when surprisingly (4-6!) beaten in the semis by Burgess Hannah. It was a tremdous race, and Bullet was beaten on merit, though only just.
Bullet is currently trading around the 9-4 mark and disputing favouritism with Bellmore Sally.
Coonough Crow: Perhaps the least exposed of the field, the Wallis second string appears, in betting terms is causing the layers some confusion, currently trading at between 5-1 and 7-1. Very lightly raced for a bitch well past her second birthday, Crow’s seven race Irish card is more about ‘potential’ than ‘proven quality’ with just one outing over six bends. She was beaten in it, over 750 at Shelbourne Park, but was finishing well.
Her UK debut was in the opening round of the Jacket when she ran from trap one behind eventual winner Fabulous Lynx. By any standards it was a pretty fair debut after entirely miscalculating the first bend. Crow was in red again for the semi finals where she made most of her own trouble but nevertheless showed tons of ability and no shortage of bravery to narrowly fail in a late buckle with Olga.
There is clearly a decent career in front of this bitch, but the draw suggests that she might anticipate traffic problems and in this company, that could be costly.
Bellmore Sally: If you didn’t know her history, you would have probably written off the defending champion’s defence on the basis of her first round defeat, from trap four, behind the early paced Low Pressure. She, literally, wasn’t in the picture going into the last two bends.
Roll on a week, and Jimmy Fenwick’s black repeated her 2022 preparation when she found over a second between the two runs, most of which came with the sectional. On this occasion she ran from trap five. It was a fabulous display of determination and track craft, riding a first bend bump that will have cost her the opportunity to better her fastest ever sectional for the 380 metres, 23.07 recorded in last year’s final.
Sally has a best of 44.81 run over course and distance and all the evidence suggests the champ (9-4) has lost none of that ability in the last 364 days.
Olga: As the bells rang in 2023, Olga’s last four lines of form were two wins and two defeats across a mixture of A2 and S1 at Monmore. But Pat Curtin obviously saw enough to convince him to tackle the M6-M1-and M25 (which are not three marathon grades!).
Beaten first time around Crayford, Pat remained convinced and was proven right when she romped up in 45.38 for the Jacket trip. That form was reproduced in the first round where she went from trap five. Onto the semi finals, same box, same result, though a much tougher scrap against the tenacious Coonough Crow.
Back in her favourite box and the only unbeaten finalist, Olga is currently available at around the 6-1 mark. She needs to break the orange hoodoo though.
Burgess Hannah: It is 13 months since Tony Gifkins’ bitch made her Crayford debut in A4. It was her only outing over the 380m course because six weeks later she was coming home in fifth place behind Bellmore Sally in last year’s Jacket final. Three months later she ran fourth in Kent St.Leger.
Realistically, the 714m is some way short of Hannah’s optimum. Sure, when she gets on the bunny, she has pace to burn – as she showed with a 44.83 solo in October. For many racegoers though, Hannah is invariably guaranteed to lose lengths in traffic. That seemed to be confirmed when the 8-1 chance met (T5) met Minnie Bullet in the first round and was forced into more manouvering than a black cab in rush hour. But then the Gods reminded everyone not to get too far ahead of themselves when the pair met again in the semi finals with Hannah running from six.
Can she repeat that run? You can probably get 7-1 that she might.
Five locals in the field and plenty of lines of form for comparison. There are particularly strong claims for Ascot Blake and the much travelled Lenson Ice. The latter has been schooled over the jumps and was particularly unlucky when impeded at the first bend when almost clear last time out.
Grand National winner Bobbing Gnavatar and Champion Hurdle winner Borna Rhythm (3rd in National), are the big race winners in here while Ritzys Spirit has 23.38 winning form over the 380m course and 33.99 over this trip. All three are much happier over the extra half a lap and there is very little between them. A tight call but the striped jacketed Borna Rhythm is the narrow selection.
A moderate enough maiden this one with great diversity of formlines. Although he has only won six of his 47 races, Deanridge Linxs might be worth taking a chance with here. He has never previously been beyond 540 metres but looks as though he will see out the extra half a circuit. Anglesey Away wouldn’t be far away if she reproduces her Jan 21 form.
She hasn’t been at her best in recent weeks but Jewel Of Madonna, the youngest in the field, must have a very decent chance in this veterans event. Although making up the numbers in the Central Park A1, the Tony Collett trained bitch has a number of open race wins in her not too distant past and clocked a calculated 29.07 (480) at her home track back in December.
You might expect the marathon to be an uncompetitive affair but this could make quite ‘a watch’. Last year’s Cesarewitch runner-up Beach Babe and St.Leger fifth Droopys Jungle both relish the extra distance. This year’s Cesarewitch third Luna Jezabelle is attempting the longest distance of her career. But she was far from disgraced in a fabulous Golden Jacket semi. She can lead here and is a confident selection.
Before this event got underway, trainer Mark Wallis – who won the Bussey Memorial in seven consecutive years – speculated whether Antigua Sugar (29 races, 13 wins, 9 2nds) was the classiest runner he had ever entered. It is hard to argue. The Juvenile Classic winner and Bet365 Challenge Cup runner-up was flawless in her last two outings and will surely go to traps at shorter than her current 2-1. Master Ten Ten might be the bet without the favourite if he has remembered his trapping boots. On Towcester 500m form he is only five spots behind the favourite and boasts 28.19 form at Monmore.
Noelles Perfetto left at least four lengths on the track when winning last time out through no fault of her own. This is a bitch with 29.33 form at Towcester last September. She has had her setbacks and has been off over the worst of the winter but looks to be coming back to form. Appears better drawn than last time too with Alright Gorgeous safely on her inside.
Icaals Rocco was made favourite to beat kennelmate Oh Cosmopolitan last week and although both found some problems; the latter outpaced the favourite along the backstraight and won on merit. Provided they don’t ruin each other’s chances, that form should be franked. They may be helped by the white jacketed Newline Donal who made life very difficult for the gutsy Catchmybreath in the other semi final. However if Julie Luckhurst’s brindle avoids Donal moving outwards, he will give the Mullins pair a run for their money.
Lenson Doolin – Has won 17 of his last 27. Loves the place, can’t be opposed.
Noduff Grand has an excellent strike rate and is taking a downgrade from a slightly better class of opposition. Hard to oppose.
