The star of the week is Coonough Crow with a second Category One success for the MWD partnership following another gutsy performance in the Ladbrokes Kent St.Leger and revenge over Dazl Rolex who beat her in the Golden Jacket decider.
At Sheffield, Queen Georgia and Acomb Irene both retained their unbeaten tags in the Time Greyhound Nutrition Three Steps To Victory semi with the McNair runner holding a half length advantage on the clock.
The traditional low key ‘pre Derby’ week saw little to raise the pulses at Towcester where the highlight was possibly Fabulous Dyna finally overturning Doohoma Princess following three successive drubbings. Having been beaten in 43.12, 43.28 and 43.26, Dyna raised her game with a 43.24 run.
Unraced September pup Rioja Bungle couldn’t afford to give so much away to his more experienced rivals when tackling the PGR Puppy Derby. He was only two races more experienced, but also two months older, when landing the quickest semi final of the BGBF British Bred Maiden Derby at Newcastle on Thursday. By the look of his action, there is still plenty more refinement to come.
Newcastle raider Coolavanny Mercy produced the fastest run of the week at Monmore on Saturday (28.20). But in terms of POW, we have to edge it to Billy Russell’s puppy, Magical Bluebear. That’s four wins out of six UK outings (four different tracks) with the latest, just two spots off the quickest sprint of the year.
Meanwhile another Newcastle runner, Tom Heilbron’s pup Untold Rouble, absolutely sprouted wings on Saturday night with a 27.25 run for Doncaster’s 450 metres. It was the fastest run over course and distance in almost seven years and just nine spots outside Droopys Country’s track record.
Mallogs Calvin has won two of his three Doncaster opens with a best of 27.61. He was back at home track Harlow on Friday with the quickest run of the week, 26.50 for the standard distance.
Druids Say Go was put in her place by kennelmate Not So Slow at Romford last Friday. It wouldn’t be repeated. She made it 11 wins from 16 outings over course and distance in a fairly routine 23.78 (-10).
Youngster Savana Robbie qualified with a best of 24.87 at Suffolk Downs when he was just 16 months old. On Tuesday, and now a kilo and a half heavier, he made it four wins, three seconds and a third from eight races with the fastest time of the week. Still only 19 months old and more to come surely from the Michelle Brown trained black.
At Nottingham, Zebedee Fourteen was just three spots off the fastest 500m run this year with a 29.66 win on Monday. That’s two wins in three opens since arriving from Ireland. He is now Derby bound.
Derek Knight’s 37 kilo Newinn Benni clocked 30.56 in his first troubled four-bend trial at Hove back in December. But he’s a learner. On Thursday, he won his second open and for the fifth time in eight with a 29.52 (-10) run.
As POW’s go, Droopys Suprstr’s winning time in a Swindon open on Thursday was nothing special, 28.48. But it was on -30 going, AND he is a September pup AND he turned over the defending POW, Gurtnara Paddy. Tougher opposition in the Derby this week.
Swindon marathon track record holder Alright Gordy was back in action at Oxford on Saturday night and produced a very respectable 39.60 for the 650m. But that was narrowly outshone by the 26.67 from Jamie Kingsley’s Baran Maggie. She had actually clocked 26.56 last time out. (Which is around 20 seconds longer than it would have taken that long to type out her registration form).
Meanwhile back at Central Park, Paul Donovan’s Asbo Lenny continues to play ‘who blinks first’ with the racing office. The defending POW went to traps at 4/9f in the week’s top A1 and romped up by almost five in 29.30. Double or quits lads?
Yarmouth had the very rare experience of losing a complete meeting to a hare breakdown on Wednesday. There might only have been two meetings but puppy Droopys Halley managed to win at both of them and clock the quickest time of the week with a 27.96. Looks quite a bargain from Premier Greyhound Sales’ Romford sale in January where he sold for £4,300.
Similarly, Rapido Spooks has had an interesting career to date. Unsold at Greyhound Trader Yarmouth and Doncaster sales, she finally found a new owner for a bargain £1,500 at Monmore and joined the racing strength at Sunderland where she won A1. On Sunday she made her debut in A3 at Pelaw and clocked the fastest time of the week by 28 spots.
There was also only one sub28.00 run for the Kinsley 462 course this week. That belonged to Easy Cookie with a 27.85 in A3. It equalled her personal best and was a very decent run for a bitch 500m and 660m open race winning form at Sheffield.
In terms of consistency, you would struggle to beat Canya Wildcat at Sunderland. Not only was her 27.18 win on Friday the quickest of the week, it was a sixth win in her last 12 races having never been out of the first three.
Moving up a level – when you are as consistent as Different Speed, the clock is kind of irrelevant. Kate Harrison’s blue and white sprinter won by 10 lengths at Valley again on Sunday when extending his winning sequence to 10.
Last week’s Perry Barr top performer Bower Linda won again on Saturday but her 28.37 was put into the shade by the 28.05 from Darley Diglake. That’s a new PB for the British Bred white and black. A mention too for Loggies Cain with a new FOY for the 660 trip, 40.08. (Ballyhimikin Mel’s quickest run last year was 39.82).
**Sadly the meeting was marred by a tragic injury to Laurels winner Kilwest Ranger who suffered a badly broken hock and had to be put to sleep. Thoughts with Tony Harmes and all connections.
