They might only be a small kennel, but Hayley Keightley’s Roxholme team are expected to be at the business end of three major competitions currently unfolding.
On Saturday at Belle Vue, Roxholme Hat has drawn a plum red draw as he sets out to defend his Bapp Scurry Cup title. But assistant trainer Mark Keightley warns that the competition favourite is perhaps more vulnerable than he was a year ago.
He said: “At face value, he looks a good thing. It isn’t the strongest competition. There is quality still in it, but not a depth of quality in my opinion. But we are conscious that Hat has changed his running style. Last year he could afford to miss his break but still call on his early pace to get him out of trouble. That potent early is no longer there so he will be more reliant on breaking better. In fact, we will be looking to move him up in distance in the next four to six weeks, with Romford and Peterborough in mind.”
On the same night, the kennel send out the favourite in the semi finals of the £7,500 Jay &n Kay Coach Tours Kent St.Leger, Roxholme Poppy. She also goes into the semi finals as the quickest qualifier, and is undoubtedly in the weaker semi.
Mark said: “Let’s be honest, if you were asked to put the dogs where you want in the semi finals, you would have settled for what we got. In all honesty, I am not too concerned who we take on in the later stages of the race. It is in the early stages that she normally concerns me and when you are taking on Bombers Bullet or Ela Juliet, you get punished if you don’t get it right.
“Against the longer distance runners, I think Poppy can still get to the front, even if she doesn’t break at her best. Of course, there are others to be feared. It is on record that Hazel Kemp has been waiting for Slippy Maggie to show her old form after her seasonal break, and on the evidence of last Saturday, she could be on her way. But that suits me fine. I want to see the best dogs reach the final. If you do win, you can at least say that you beat quality greyhounds on the way.”
Before then of course, the kennel have 9-4 second favourite Roxholme Ray in the final of Tuesday night’s GMG Three Steps To Victory Final at Sheffield.
On semi final form, Ray, who led in the void semi final, and then won the re-run, has four lengths to find on the hugely impressive Nadurra Ross. As if that wasn’t tough enough, the kennel have been battling to get the striped runner fully fit for the decider.
Mark said: “He came off the re-run a little sore and we have been working on a problem ever since. He has been a very frustrating dog since we’ve had him because although he has never had a serious injury, it has been one small thing after another.
“But even fully fit, I know we have our work cut out. We have one chance and that is to be well clear by the third bend because if Nadurra Ross is in front, I suspect he is a stronger dog than ours. So we will take our chance and fingers crossed he comes off sound. I am already looking further ahead to the Steel City Cup which I think will suit him better than this race.”
*Earlier in the evening, another of the kennel stars will take a step back to full fitness with Roxholme Nidge lined up for a sprint trial before racing. He clocked 15.88 over the Sheffield sprint course in his first run back after picking up a damaged hock in trial at Doncaster in December.
