The weekly ‘Antigua Sugar Win Machine’ award unsurprisingly went once again to Antigua Sugar following her 34.82 run in the semi finals of the Coral Coronation Cup at Romford. That is six in a row; the last three wins were within nine spots. A mention too for June pup Highfield May with a 23.74 run in the Golden Sprint semis.
On the same night at Oxford, the planned re-match between Space Jet and Mohican Tara in the heats of the Galaxy Marathon failed to materialise with the former withdrawn in season. Following an alleged pre-race ante post punting frenzy, backers swerved Tara to make Beach Babe their odds-on favourite and then watched on as Hove S2/A6 regular A Mystical Love was a thoroughly merited winner for Lee Pearce. Winner’s time, 53.49 (TR 53.04)
But if we had to choose one performance from the 20 listed, it would probably be Romeo Command for his first round victory in the heats of the BGBF British Breeders Stakes at Nottingham on Monday. That is an unbeaten 7:7 since his arrival at the Janssens College of Athletic Perfection. His 29.12 is the second fastest ever recorded over Nottingham’s 500 metres. And let’s face it, few races distances have more solid credibility. Add that to the 27.82 at Monmore and the 28.99 at Towcester and the 20-1 about him emulating his sire on the Northamptonshire oval doesn’t look the worst value you have ever seen.
Which brings an interesting comparison with Central Park’s 500 metre course on Sunday. Derby favourite Fromposttopillar clocked 30.35 on going rated a weather battered -70 on Sunday evening in the fastest heat of the ARC Kent Plate. Can it really be measured the same as Sheffield’s ‘500’ clock at 28.27? The CP track record is King Eden’s 29.46.
‘Old’ Towcester’s 500m record was held by Tyrur Shay at 28.72. The current clock is Priceless Jet’s 28.78. The fastest time this week was a 29.56 from Arthur Cucumber. Most impressive from a bitch whose only previous wins have come in A4 and A3 at Swindon! But we’ll be looking at the 712m trip this week where Golden Jacket runner-up Roll On Sydney reminded punters of his love of the place with a fastest-of-year, 43.50 run.
You might struggle to make an obvious connection between the Towcester six bends and a Harlow sprint where Diane Jinks’ super consistent Black Eyed Razl bitch turned over last week’s POW Lemming Spice in 15.49 (-40). That’s four wins and four seconds in her last eight – with new kennelmate Signet Mafia in second. And the connection? Check out the breeding.
After a fabulous Northern Puppy Derby, Newcastle’s ARC Northern Flat seemed to be heading to becoming a £12,500 kennel sweepstake. Thursday’s two trialstakes went to A1 regulars Wraysbury Diva (28.77) and Moanteen Mikey (28.73) only for both to be put in the shade by Tom Heilbron’s Brinkleys Magic. The dog with 28.16 and 28.18 on his card at Shelbourne Park clocked 28.31 (-10) when winning by 10. Not exactly ‘graded sweepstake’ form though is it?
That Northern Puppy Derby winner Links Maverick was at Monmore on Saturday for the semi finals of the Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby where he extended his winning sequence to nine. He wasn’t the quickest winner of the night though. That honour was claimed by Maxine Locke’s Coolio Gold with a 28.27 (-30) run; his fifth win in six career starts. A quick glance at his form suggests that given a quicker break (he was seven spots down on his sectional) and top-of-the-ground going, he looks capable of going a decent way into the ‘27s’.
Midlands neighbours Perry Barr were also up to their neck in opens on Saturday night where Crystal Countess equalled Noels Fleck’s fastest sprint time of the year with a 16.12 run. But while Fleck’s run was clocked on ‘N’ going, Peter Richardson’s bitch ran on -15.
Hove staged 10 opens over three different distances on Thursday and Seamus Cahill helped himself to half of them. Pick of the quintet was the dual distance open winner Southfield Hawk with a 30.24 (-30) win over the 515m course. Regular readers may recall his mum being a regular name in this feature in 2019/2020 when she was FOY for Swindon’s 476m with 27.87 and 27.87 runs.
On the subject of Swindon, their big guns had been battling out in the opens earlier that afternoon. The pick of the opens went to the 38 kilo Ballymac Conti in 28.47 though the performance of kennelmate Eze, only beaten three quarters of a length, was equally impressive given his age.
Despite all the clamour from trainers for six bend racing at Suffolk Downs, the take-up appears to be disappointing. There were only two 548m race at the track this week. It was comprehensively won by the best dog over course and distance at West Row, Energize App. It remains to be seen whether the grader can accommodate him again.
Hurdler Bobbing Gnavatar was out in Cat Three company on Saturday morning and won the fastest of the 380m opens in 23.56, almost two lengths quicker than his Grand National winning time.
Sheffield staged the heats of the Queen Mother Cup and Darbys Delight reminded punters that he loves the place. Tom Heilbron’s black was someway off his FOY (38.42) but nevertheless will be a short priced favourite to win next Sunday’s decider.
Meanwhile at Yorkshire neighbours Donny, the last two ‘Performers’ met in a tasty Sunday morning A1 with Keady Moment beat Bluey Boy in 29.91. However, less than 24 hours earlier, Sean Parker’s Nolas Moment had beaten a similar top heat field in 29.85 (-30). His PB is 29.52 (+10). When he departed Romford just over a year ago, his final line of form was a defeat in A6.
The return of Snake Root – a dog with a calculated 28.57 on his card at Newcastle – was always going to be a threat to Starson Melody’s reign at Pelaw and so it proved on Sunday with an emphatic 25.68 run.
Yarmouth’s POW last week Swift Loves spent the week on her bed which enabled runner-up Wee Fat Mac to take over the yellow jersey with a 27.92 FOW run.
There was less than an hour and 20 spots between the final two selections. At 6.51 on Sunday evening Brynoffa Bob took on and beat the reigning Kinsley Performer of the Week, Goldies Jennings in the week’s only sub28 run. That is seven wins from 12 races including open wins over two and four bends.
Some 53 minutes later, Jason Bloomfield’s pup Stellas Belle went quickest in Henlow’s only meeting of the week with a 28.10 (-30) run for the 460 metres.
We’ll conclude with a heartwarming story from Sunderland.
Last September, 17 month old Tromora Ellie was knocked over and beaten a distance in only the second race of her career.
She ran a solo well enough but ‘ran out’ in her next race and was beaten a distance. Retrial.
Trainer Graham Strike persevered and after three solos and a mixed trial she was back on the card in A5. She was given every chance and made the 15-8jf but “eased and gave up 4”. DNF. Another retrial.
At this stage, many handlers would have been thinking thoughts along the lines of ‘flogging a dead horse!’.
Graham got her back on the card after another three trials. It wasn’t as though she wasn’t keen, she was doing really decent clocks (27.40!). Anyway, she returned to the track and finished fifth. But it was a case if ‘two steps forward. . .’ because in her following race she ‘eased’, and finished last. The good news was, she still completed the course and was beaten less than six lengths in total. However, understandably. . . ‘Retrial required’.
Another solo followed, and last Tuesday she went to traps in A3. It was just her seventh race in as many months and she skated up by nearly six lengths in A3. Her 27.21 winning time was the fastest of the week.
Whether Ellie ever wins again, or even completes the course . . . hats off to her trainer and racing manager for their patience and persistence.
