For the second consecutive week, the Monmore selection is duplicated as it is impossible to separate Churchfield Syd and Cooladerry Dust who remain unbeaten in the Ladbrokes-sponsored Gold Cup and Summer Stayers competitions. Unlucky to miss out is Queen Georgia whose time was equal to Dust’s in her Stayers semi-final.
While the best of the action on Saturday was at Monmore, Midlands neighbours Perry Barr made a pretty good fist of it with a string of decent opens. Pick of the bunch though was David Lewis’ Alright Gordy who reversed his most recent Oxford form against Lively Lauren when winning by four lengths in 39.65 for the 660m. It was the quickest run since Newinn This Way broke the track record (39.55) nine years ago.
The outstanding run anywhere this week though is surely the 22.77 effort by Tom Heilbron’s Madabout Peck in setting a new track record for Crayford’s 380m. The previous best was Brinkleys Poet’s 22.85 set in May 2018. A whole length improvement over a short distance on which there have been thousands of races staged is truly exceptional.
We are running out of new things to say about March On Freddie following his latest win in the opening round of the Jenningsbet Puppy Classic first round. Perhaps more of a query – has any other pup ever been selected for Performance of the Week in four of their first eight races?
Romeo Command’s next race will almost certainly be at Nottingham in the Jenningsbet Select Stakes which takes place on Classic final night next Monday. The brindle’s final preparation could hardly have gone better with a 16-length win at Towcester on Sunday. His winning time of 28.76 was his third fastest over the Derby course after 28.68 and 28.75 runs. However, his 4.04 sectional was his quickest in 31 visits to the 500m traps.
It was in the summer of 2022 that the Ian Greaves-bred Swift Loves first appeared at Yarmouth winning five of her first nine races and clocking 27.74 for the standard. She hardly raced for a year but bounced back with 27.52 and 27.58 runs with some summer sun on her back. After a comment of ‘hng run in’ she was off the track for the 2023 winter but with the sun shining in Caister on Monday evening, she popped up with a career-best, 27.51 run.
Hove has been tricky to monitor this week. As an example, the standard trip was running -30 on Thursday and +30 on Saturday. Despite the obvious advantage of the better going, we can’t ignore the 29.02 run from ‘Knighty’s’ Fleadh Cailin. That’s three in a row for the fawn, two A1s and an S2. However, we must also mention Patrick Browne’s Faypoint Jet with a 42.06 (-45) winning debut over six bends on Thursday night.
Not a lot to choose between the quickest two and four-bend winners at Swindon on Thursday. Fastest over the 476m course was Getup Me Boy with a 28.25 run. But the talking point of the night had to be the return of track record holder Dashing Dude with a 15.27 (-15) run for the sprint. That’s 19 wins in 24 races over c&d.
We don’t normally include handicap runners in the selections, Newcastle star Droopys Biggy excluded of course. But how do we not stick with Bev Heaton’s Ballymac Alyssa who clocked the fastest time of the year at Kinsley last week, 27.54? This week the 26 kilo blue ran from scratch, giving away 4m to former top heat winner Da Man Joey, and still skated up in a brilliant 27.50.
The outcome wasn’t as good for Sunderland’s defending POW High St Stag who returned 8/1 when beaten nearly seven lengths by Michael Fieldson’s Tease Me. That’s five wins in her last six outings for a bitch who had just one race for Roy Peckham.
Returning to the subject of Newcastle, an in-form Biggy would probably have picked off any of this week’s top heat races. The quickest run of the week was A4 winner Nicoles Sparkle in 28.76 (+20). However, the best top heat winning time belongs to Angel Of The North finalist Wraysbury Katie with a 28.78 (-10) run.
Steve Naylor’s Northern Flat semi-finalist Catunda Ciaran was beaten in his first graded race at Sheffield but has since bounced back with a hat-trick of open race wins including the outstanding performance of the week, a 28.71 run from off the pace.
There was a decent run from Bubbly Breezer over six bends at Romford on Friday night (34.85), but with the Puppy Cup not far away, we’ve got to choose Craig Morris’ youngster Easy Player with a 23.66 run over 400m. That’s two wins in his last three outings (29.36c-491m CP), for the 20-month-old black.
Meanwhile, 20 miles away at Harlow, Gothic Icon looked set to be named as the POW after winning an A3 in 26.17 on Monday. But four nights later, he was up against the big boys in A1. The layers couldn’t decide between Icon and kennelmate Essjay John (9/4jf), so the pair had to sort it out between themselves. It was John in 26.38.
An even better buckle still at sister track Valley where the two exceptional performers of recent weeks, Good Streak and Cassidy met for the first time on Sunday. The bookies couldn’t decide (11/10 each of two) but it was Harlow old boy Streak who delivered in 28.25 (-10). He remains unbeaten in Wales after five races with an extended winning sequence, including a Harlow D1, of six.
No sign of most of the big names at Central Park this week – hopefully they will return as the Kent Derby draws closer. Most of the better class action took place on Saturday where the fastest A1 on the night went to Paul Donovan’s Wonderful Abi with a second consecutive A1 in a calculated 29.40.
Not a lot to choose between them at Doncaster this week with home-bred Keefill Maverick probably just shading it following a 27.53 open win on -10 for the 450m. That is the 7th open win of his 17-race career. Sister Keefill Amelia won her second open on the same card. Another brother Goose has six open wins, sister Dares has two. All nine of the litter have won races.
No opens at Oxford this week but an open class 450 run from Sir Oreo. Chris Hamblin’s A1 winner was having his first race since March and his 26.76 run was just half a length off his personal best but on going rated -20, it was his best ever calculated time.
It was a good week for hounds retaining the crowns and the sixth and final gold-type performance was sealed at 7.44 pm on Sunday night by A2 Pelaw Grange winner Tromora Meg. Dave Curry’s blue puppy had to do it the hard way but still clocked the fastest time of the meeting, 25.84 (+30).
