There was little between the four Grand National heat winners at Crayford – 7 spots – (though cynics might suggest that they are likely to be just as tightly packed when they cross the winning line in the final). The Gold Collar was also competitive but Aayamza Sydney was good enough to be quickest despite leaving several lengths on the track. No one would claim that the Mullins runner is a perfect fit for the track, but he just about gets away with it. But this is the new, body conscsious ‘Slimline Sydney’, down to a mean lean, 36.5 kilos, having previously raced well into the 38s.
Question about another Mullins runner. Was last Monday’s win by Swift Depot the greatest graded win ever at Yarmouth? Only two dogs have gone faster than Depot’s 27.20, the joint track record holders, Fear Zafonic and King Elvis. The only other runner to equal it, was the former McNair star Leamaneigh Turbo. But the form was stamped by the runner-up Chelms Bob, a dog with recent 27.93 and 27.66 A1 wins, being beaten a head bob short of nine lengths. It was 364 days since Depot’s Towcester debut for Team Mullins. In his second race, he was beaten in A5 at Yarmouth.
It was a good weekend for May pups, and while no one could put Ballymac Kobe’s Towcester run in the same ball park as Droopys Kathleen’s effort at Shelbourne, Maxine Locke’s runner was still the quickest in the English Puppy Derby first round with a 28.88 run. Another mention too for Tommys Lotto who completed a 712m hat-trick in his quickest time to date, 42.62. It was the joint fourth fastest time of the year, but it is perhaps worth reflecting that it was still 60 spots slower than Savana Jackpot’s quickest.
It has been a tough few months for the White family but their Northamptonshire Sprint winner Broadway Murty would have provided a welcome tonic when romping up at Oxford on Saturday. Contesting just his second race back after three months off, Murty clocked the second fastest sprint of the year, 14.87 for the 253m. Only My Lennie (14.78) has gone quicker.
It was on November 23 last year when 20 month old pup Uncle Freddie gave the first indication of potential when he won on his Hove debut in 29.39 for the 500m. There have been odd glimpses since of that talent though it might be argued that it wasn’t until last Thursday that he really rubberstamped that early run with a flying 29.53 for the 515m course, which is the fastest time over course and distance since King Turbo’s 29.52 six and a half years ago.
Newcastle staged four A1s on Thursday and three were won with winning times of 28.67/28.68. Joint fastest of them was Stuart Ray’s locally bred Blackhouse Kim who edges the vote on the basis of being the defending POW. Also, coming from fifth place off a very moderate 4.75 sectional, and beating the prolific Delvin Cat, is no mean feat in itself.
Similarly, no opens at Swindon on Thursday but a couple of cracking A1 contests. Pick of the pair was Baggio Coyote’s 27.97 (+10) run. It completes an A2-A2-A1 hot-trick from Frank Bryce’s young black dog and his winning time was just half a length off the quickest run of the year shared by Snaffis Mojito, Loggies Knight and Coppice Ella.
Fridays and Eclipse work-outs have dominated racing at Nottingham in the last month. But not so last week when Droopys Flotilla stole the headlines by breaking the 680m track record with a 40.89 run. The previous record of 41.06 had been held for eleven and a half years by the Dave Firmager bred and trained Fabulous Shanty.
Five nights later, Droopys Flotilla was back in action over a trip way short of her optimal, Monmore’s 630 metres. Drawn red for a fifth consecutive time, Nathan Hunt’s white and blue saw off a decent class field that included her vanquisher in the Kent St Leger final, Coonough Crow, in 37.95. That’s four wins and a second in her last five for the litter sister to the brilliant pair, Droopys Clue and Droopys Fidget. As a pup, Fidget had 27.95 winning form over Monmore’s 480 metres.
Bramble Linton, who finished third behind Depot in an East Anglian Derby semi and failed to make the final by half a length, finally gets his chance in a Cat 1 line-up after landing the quickest semi final of the ARC Classics at Sunderland. Steve Anderson’s black found half a length on his first round run which was the difference between being beaten a neck by Brindle Bully and getting home by half a length.
The Kinsley call was a typical ‘time v grade’ subjective decision in which the gap between the times and the gap between the grades is open to interpretation. On Friday, Highview Roots landed an A3 in 27.66, while Ballymac Frisby won the A2 in 27.71 (both +40). On balance, we’ve given it to Frisby whose opposition was all of a full grade tougher. At least the pair are both trained in the Heaton kennel.
Greyhounds like footballers, are influenced by form and confidence. At Romford, Bacon Roll continues in the form of her life with the quickest 400m run of the week, 23.79. That is four in a row for Paul Burr’s bitch who went a dozen races without a win which then extended, when upped from A3 to A1 to one win in 18. Dunno about Bacon Roll, ‘Hot Dog’ might have been more appropriate.
There were a stack of fast times at Harlow last week. Unravelling the comparative grades (and grades within grades) against going allowances would be the work of a supercomputer. In fourth place, Jura Yala Enki and Essjay Sid who dead-heated an A2 in 26.23. In third slot, a 26.16 run for Dower Rafa. In second place, an A3 win for Gothic Gwen in 26.10. But quickest of the lot, was a 26.07 for Townsend Jay in A3.
Kevinsfort Duke clocked 16.99 on his first look at the Central Park 277m course some 18 months ago. On Saturday, when winning for the 14th time in 43 races (32% strike rate), the Tony Collett trained black not only set a new PB for course and distance, his 16.17 was the quickest sprint seen at the track this year – and it was produced on -10 going.
Coppice Ella did fabulously well to run a great winner to six lengths in the Oaks semis and final. On Saturday, Kevin Hutton’s home bred made her six bend debut and despite traffic issues which meant that she didn’t lead until the third bend, she nevertheless relished every one of the 660 metres when winning by seven and a half lengths in 40.12 (FOY 39.65). Think we can draw a line under the four bend career of the British Bred Oaks winner.
Not a vintage week at Doncaster with the week’s fastest time over the standard distance being an A3 win in 29.83. So perhaps time to switch to the 450s and a couple of decent B1 winners. Colliers Burcholz and Ballymac Levi won their respective races just 17 minutes and two spots apart. Quicker of the pair was Jimmy Gaskin’s Levi in 27.84 with his fourth win in his last six.
There was a time when Valley’s Sunday card was likely to produce the best racing. Not so much now. On Wednesday there were a string of sub-28.30 runs with A1 winner Cassidy marginally the fastest with a 28.23 run. Mike Burton’s home bred has won 12 of his last 19 races and is the second fastest hound over course and distance with a PB of 27.96.
Only one sub29.00 performance at Sheffield last week, Slippy Brett’s 28.97 minor open win. So time to consider the merits of the stayers. Although Pear Drops’ 39.31 is nowhere near the ‘top 10’ of the year, Barrie Draper’s coloured bitch was comfortably the quickest of Sunday’s three 660m opens. And it saved an engineer’s appointment to check the timer; her previous wins over course and distance were in 39.33 and 39.32.
The week concluded with a competitive A2 at Star Pelaw where Chippy Chase was made an 8/13f to complete a five-timer, despite the opposition of defending POW, Emilys Superstar. But it was 9/2 chance Cloncunny Black who presumably saved the new stadium owners a few bob when holding off the jolly by barely his black eyebrows in the FON, 25.88.
A mention too for local grader Ma Darlin, an apparent no-hoper, non-chaser, who rewarded her trainer’s great patience to win second time out.
