A full fourteen race open card at Towcester racecourse this afternoon where four first round heats of the Stadium Bookmakers Blue Riband take centre stage. A category one event with a winners prize of £10,000 all those competing this afternoon earned their places in the competition by virtue of finishing in the first three home in trial stakes for the competition last Sunday. There are ten further open races on the card all of which are supported like the main event by the stadium bookmakers and Mark Pierrepont previews –
Latest Blue Riband antepost betting courtesy of www.oddschecker.co.uk
A sprint over the 270m course gets the afternoon underway at 157pm and though it’s a competitive affair where a number can lay claims a chance is taken on Peter Harnden’s improving SALACRES HARVEY. He doesn’t want to be drawn any wider than this that much is for certain but it’s not disadvantageous to be drawn in the white jacket here at Towcester over any trip and he can ping out and make all.
The first of the Blue Riband heats at 212pm and a race which looks to be between Patrick Janssens DEELISH FRANKIE and the John Mullins trained Mr Chelm (ex – Kildare). It was good to see last years Derby runner up getting off the mark since changing ownership last week and he very much suggested he is now starting to come to hand. Whether he can clear Frankie by the turn if they both break in their normal manner however is debateable and therefore Frankie is selected albeit tentatively. This could well turn into a terrific race along the back straight but I do just fancy Frankie to hold his main rival off.
The second sprint of the afternoon at 232pm can go to John Mullins PENNYS OXO who is running really well around here in recent weeks and looks even better drawn today in the white of trap 3. He can smash out and make all although he will have to tread a little carefully as Adeles Duke drawn immediately inside is likely to be wanting to move off from there if he possibly can.
Patrick Janssens ROMEO TOP CAT looks well drawn to take the second Blue Riband heat of the afternoon at 2.52pm. He should have plenty enough pace to lead up on the inside whilst Arkady who much prefers and uncontested lead is likely to do Coppice Fox little in the way of favours in a race to the bend. With those two likely to come together the path looks clear for Top Cat to escape as they head onto the back straight.
A standard affair over 500m is next up at 311pm with the battle looking to be between the early paced middle drawn duo of CROSSFIELD RILEY for Patrick Janssens and Frank Gray’s Makeit The Bear who can count himself extremely unlucky not to have been crowned English Puppy Derby champion after leading clear in the final of the event only for the race to be halted in the interests of welfare. Riley landed his maiden over course and distance last week and though he’ll need to get a little stronger as he now heads into full open company that’s more than likely with this April 2021 whelp looking to have an exciting year ahead of him. He will have to be lively at the start as Bear invariably is and will also be looking to cut across from his trap 4 draw but I fancy with a break Riley can just about hold off that rival and kick on for victory.
The third of the afternoon’s Blue Riband heats at 328pm and a really tricky race to call given poor draws to a few of the runners. Kevin Hutton’s Signet Otis was very impressive when landing his trial stake last week showing a good burst of early pace after trapping well from his trap 4 draw. That kind of pitch looked fairly ideal for him however and the move to trap 1 this afternoon both from a positional and breaking sense looks far from perfect. Mark Wallis’s HOPES PADDINGTON was extremely impressive both to the eye and on the clock in last week’s winning trial stake. It was the run of a greyhound all set to have a really big year this year. Far from getting a clear run to the turn he really took off once getting clear and pulled further and further clear with every passing stride. His run of 2934 at this time of year given that he didn’t get clear early was some effort and he’s taken to avoid Otis who is likely to move off from the inside before once again turning on the afterburners.
The maidens are next up over 500m at 348pm and it can be Paul Philpott’s improving SPORTING VIVI who gets off the mark. The move to trap 6 shouldn’t pose too many concerns he’s a dog who generally looks after himself well and the context of this race see’s him drawn on the outside of runners who in the main will be seeking pitches nearer the inside in any case. Vivi landed a competitive A3 here on new years eve and subsequently followed that up with an impressive run in behind Crossfield Riley last time out. He was some way behind that rival before closing him down to a length at the finish and with nothing of that dogs class in the field today Potty Philpott’s charge can get off the mark in the open class sphere.
The fourth and final heat of the Blue Riband at 408pm and possibly the most competitive of all four heats. Frank Gray’s Makeit For Waz needs no introduction she’s a superstar and particularly loves it around her home venue. She’s not ideally drawn here against the rail though and in a very hot race she is overlooked in favour of Patrick Janssens LAUTARO who is equally at home around this venue and can follow up a highly impressive victory in last week’s trial stake. He’ll need to be as sharply away again in order to avoid Waz but if he is he can make the bend in front at which point the danger will likely be on his outside in the shape of kennel mate and recent Shelbourne Park Winter Festival heroine Fabulous Azurra. It should be a good race between the pair but Lautaro doesn’t stop in front and he can hold off Azurra with Mark Wallis’s consistent Antigua Bigun plotting his usual wide course to claim third.
A third sprint open of the afternoon at 428pm can go to John Mullins OHALABAMASLAMA who gets a little bit of help if any was needed courtesy of trap 3 being vacant. A pacy sort he looks set to ping out and make all with his likely danger being the Mark Wallis trained Bower Bucko who will be looking to follow up last week’s course and distance success.
A maiden over 500m at 448pm that shouldn’t take a lot of winning can go to Peter Harden’s locally trained SALACRES LIAM. He was up against it when well beaten at big odds behind Signet Otis in a trial stake for the Blue Riband last week but this is a much easier assignment and with little in the way of early drawn to his inside he can claim the rail and soon put himself into prime position to utilise his middle gears. That being the case Jooles Slater’s Noduff Excalibur should drop into a nice pitch in behind and though he’ll come on for the look around the track he can follow the selection home for second.
Seamus Gaughan’s FENNIS TRIGGER got no kind of run to halfway in the maiden won here last week by Crossfield Riley but really took the eye with his running thereafter to eventually go down to that rival by just 3 ½ lengths. This maiden at 508pm contains nothing of the class of Riley and despite being drawn a little wider than he’d like the make up of the race should see that he gets nowhere near as much crowding as he did on that occasion. If steering clear of too much trouble in the early stages Gaughan’s greyhound will prove extremely tough to hold and looks a decent bet.
The final sprint race of the afternoon at 528pm and not a race to get involved in from a betting perspective. KILDUFF GALLEY has been running in the style of a greyhound who could do with the occasional switch away from his home venue in order to see the best of this greyhound. He’s without a doubt a greyhound who would win many more races than he does for Mattie Richard’s if he was switched about a little as he often throws away races he really should be winning. This however is a poor race where the selection is well drawn and though it’s not a race to get involved in it’s difficult to oppose him from a selection point of view.
The penultimate race of the afternoon is a 500m standard and though this race is open to all it’s no better than the maiden which SLICK SARATOGA won in good style for Patrick Janssens last week. He can follow up and I expect this likeable pup to improve significantly on his winning time of 2994 in the coming weeks.
Last but by no means least a 712m maiden stayers at 602pm and there is good reason that most of this field remain six bend maidens despite being far from youngsters and that’s either due to a lack of class or staying ability. One that could yet go on to do reasonable enough things over the trip is Patrick Janssens FABULOUS LYNX and though she often finds ways to lose races she should be winning she could find herself with a much clearer sight of the hare than she does in many of her races over shorter trips.
