The outstanding meeting of the weekend was at Monmore where Liz McNair sent out a four-timer including one of the most impressive winners ever seen at the Wolverhampton venue.
Few dogs divide opinion more than Fromposttopillar whose fall from grace as a former Derby favourite has sent some into raptures. But even his harshest critics cannot deny his pace when he gets it right. How good was he on Saturday?
Forget the 12 length winning margin, he was the only runner who had a solo. You can almost dismiss the 37.72 winning time too. It isn’t even the fastest time of the year (Distant Emma – 37.68). But waht about the going allowance of -15? Perhaps we can compare it with kennelmate Havana Lover who clocked 38.15 after a smash break.
Wouldn’t you reckon the Oxford 650m record holder to have gone quicker than a calculated 38.00?
Similarly, Links Maverick’s 27.99 was 12 spots off Bradys Bullet’s FOY. With a calculated -10, that is still two spots away. It looked way more impressive than that. In fact even the calculated time was only five spots quicker than Maverick’s Ladbrokes Puppy Derby heat run five months previously (when his sectional was 10 spots slower).
We hate the complications of double selections for POW, but not to acknowledge these two outstanding displays on the same night would contradict the reason that the POW exists in the first place.
Meanwhile at Yarmouth on Saturday, Easy Boss went quickest in the heats of the XL Windows East Anglian Challenge. Kevin Boon’s pup, marked ‘awkward’ two races earlier at Nottingham, was 14 spots quicker than Knockduff Eske who won the following heat in 27.67 on normal going. (Eske’s 27.40 in his previous outing is the FOY but was recorded on going assessed as +30). The other qualifier went to Signet Goofy in 27.70.
Salacres Blake has come on a long way since a ‘hesitant sough’ comment in his first race at Towcester. He has since one of ‘the big three’ POW regulars at Henlow and on Sunday he produced the performance of his career to date in the opening round of the Maiden Derby. Coming off a flying 3.68 sectional, he set a career best of 27.26. Only Les Of Rhyl has gone quicker (27.22) in the last two years.
Speaking of Towcester, last week’s POW Ballymac Taylor was back in action on Sunday and won again. But in all honesty, it was a notch down on last week’s effort. She is only a pup and will bounce back but so too is Michelle Brown’s Golden Palace. The blue did a 4.13 split on his way to a 29.39 winning debut and he has the honour of being the youngest selection this week.
Laughil Jess is setting her own standards with a record sixth consecutive appearance in the Performance of the Week feature. Having been selected originally two weeks in a row at Central Park, this is her fourth consecutive selection at Crayford. The time’s aren’t always the fastest, but the will to win is ever present, as she showed when giving Bens Lad a hefty nudge for daring to challenge her at the third bend. That is eight in a row now, and 11 wins in her last 12 outings.
Romford was a straight choice between the fastest four and six bend open race winners on Friday. Aayamza Sydney made his debut over a stayer’s trip and won by almost 14 lengths in 34.95. The John Mullins trained pup clocked a 13.50 sprint and as a September ’21 son of the great Aayzamza Breeze, he is a safe bet to go faster and stay further. A special mention too for Chelms Greatest who was just a length off the fastest time of the year over a distance well short of his optimum. One spot quicker would have got into into the top 10.
Nor is anybody going to pretend that the Oxford 450 is anything close to Fabulous Azurra’s optimum trip, but the defending British Bred Oaks champion moved closer to defending her crown with a 26.87 semi final win on Friday night. That is 27 career wins in just 43 outings.
Lots of worthy contenders at Nottingham on Monday and almost impossible to separate. Puppy Droopys Doughnut made steady progress in his Puppy Classic preparation with a 29.58 run for 500m. One Day Tom continued his fine form since switching to Jason Gray with a 29.44 run. But having been snubbed last week after clocking 28.40 in the heats of a 480m comp, the same time as the selection, Avongate Ross, Bellmore Cricket proved his point by winning the final in 28.39. The dog who can boast 29.23 winning form at Towcester beating Romeo Magico, looks capable of something similar over the extra 20 metres at Nottingham (PB 29.56).
Acomb Irene continued her winning run at Sheffield making it six wins from her last seven, but she is usurped in her POW position by Spur Rebel, making his final appearance for the Taylorson Kennel with a 27.50 run over the 480 course. That completed a 613-1 acca for the €350 sales purchase. Look out for him under his new name of Skywalker Tonali. Sweet Daffodil clocked the FOY for the 720m on the same card.
The youngster will be joining a kennel in form with Ted Soppitt sending out a double at Newcastle on Thursday. Pick of the pair was Skywalker Isak with a nine length 38.59 run for the 640 metres. It is was just three spots outside Cold As Ice’s track record. A decent run on the night too for Droopys Gravy (28.33).
It wouldn’t be very often that a sub27.00 run doesn’t appear at a Sunderland graded performer of the week. Witton Survivor cleared that bar by 11 spots on Friday night. It was a career best for the acknowledged ‘sprinter of the family’ who was the quickest hound over the 261m course last year with a 15.59 run. Sister Witton Venus is the 450m record holder in 26.41.
There was no sign of Jaguar Pestana at Pelaw this week leaving Ever So Best – fifth behind him last week – to land a sneaky shot at the crown. She got away with it too. Her winning time of 25.76, albeit on fast going, was quicker than Pestana’s PB. A case of ‘come and take the crown back if you think you’re good enough’?
No opens at Perry Barr but an obvious ‘race of the week’ on Saturday with a competitive A1 featuring several of the track’s elite graders. Bandit Billy was made the 9-4f and just justified that, just, by a head, in 28.65. A mention too for December pup Bravo Zero with a 28.67 (+10) A4 win earlier in the week.
Trewmount Fury was made favourite for the ninth time in 12 races at Doncaster on Saturday with kennelmate Waikiki Beanie next best at 3-1. But Jimmy Gaskin’s brindle showed great strength to clock the fastest calculated 483 of her career, 29.73 (-10).
A number of decent performances at Suffolk Downs on Thursday with S1 winner Newtown Pongo going faster than the opens, La Reina and Antigua Doc clocking identical times (13.59) for the sprint. But we’ve gone for puppy Naney Jezabelle whose 23.47 top heat win was also the fastest of the day for the 388, and his fourth win in his last six outings at the track.
There was a similar story at Hove later the same day with noteworthy performances over four different distances including a 41.95 for veteran stayer Droopys Senorita, the quickest 500 of the night for Hollow Man (29.40) and a 30.20 for Macho Camacho over the extra 15 metres. On balance though, it is hard to see past Bombout Bullet following a great buckle with the formidable Molly Maid in the fourth fastest sprint of the year. More to come too based on his 17.44/17.45 Tralee form. The FOY for the 325 yards is Quarteira’s 17.35.
No opens at Harlow this week but another worthy graded effort from former Yarmouth runner Swift Uno. Clocked the FOW with a 26.30 (-10) run on Sunday to make it three in a row and six of his last eight at the Pinnacles.
The highly rated King Memphis was made the 4-7f to land Swindon’s puppy open on Thursday afternoon but punters got it wrong as Bluejig Buzz produced a memorable debut to clock within half a length of the fast 470 of the year. Buzz is a half brother of Bluejigs Elsa and Turbo who were prolific open winners for John Campbell last year.
It’s hard to assess Doona Dixie’s (T6) 664m ‘track record’ at Central Park on Sunday, given the track have only staged two wins over that distance. But Stuart Maplesden’s black is the second fastest hound over the new four bend trip (29.23) and stayed on well enough, despite not leading, so it might be a decent start. The FOY for the old 642m is Maree Smasher’s 40.06.
It was left to Ballytadgh Best to become the third and final hound to successfully defend her crown this week. Bev Heaton’s tiny (24kg) blue gave Dayinthelife a second consecutive dusting to see off the Kinsley A2 field in 27.52, a five spots improvement on last week
