Walshes Hill threw down the gauntlet in no uncertain terms at Sunderland on Saturday when he came within two spots of another track record in the sprint open writes John Forbes.
Having not quite got the break right, he gave the opposition some false hope that was soon evaporating as his fantastic early pace saw him hit the front bend in front and everything was in the rearview mirror after that as he powered his way relentlessly to a five and a quarter-length success in 15.40 for the 261 metres.
This speed merchant is right at the top of his game and it will take an exceptional greyhound to deny him in the Festival Flyer at the forthcoming UK Festival of racing at the Wearside venue.
It was the start of a great night for his trainer Jimmy Wright, who also won the two staying events on the card with Magical Reid and Airmount Paco and one of the standards with Droopys Alessio, all of whom are bound for the Festival as well.
Wright confirmed that Magical Reid and Airmount Paco would be entered for the Grand Prix, while Droopys Alessio is Classic-bound, which will also be a target for the kennel’s only loser on the night, Minglers Thunder, for whom Wright is predicting something good very soon.
Others to really catch the eye as the build-up to the big meeting warmed up were the Ted Soppitt-trained youngster Skywalker Jaypee, who looks a live contender for the Festival Puppy after a 27.12 victory, and Poolie Storm who surely booked a Classic ticket with a 27.19 win in one of the Standards as he completed a four-timer for Pelaw Grange trainer Colin McKitten.
