A superb evening’s open racing at Nottingham’s Colwick Park stadium is headed by the BGBF British Breeders Final and ably supported by the inaugural BGBF British Bred Midlands Sprint Final.

The first open race of the evening is the RPGTV National Sprint Trial Stakes at 7.34pm.

Carol Grasso’s All About Taylor has shown some excellent early speed over four bends in recent outings, including when leading in the early stages of the Maiden Derby Final at home venue Henlow and more recently when landing a maiden open at Romford.

This isn’t a race that will take a lot of winning and despite a look around he must hold serious chances.

Sonic Ruby for Stuart Tighe is talented on her day with sub 16 second runs on the card at Sheffield and sub 17 seconds at Newcastle, those type of runs would take her close in a race of this nature and unlike the rest of this field she does at least benefit from a look around, albeit that was on New Year’s Eve 2019 and over the 480m course.

All About Taylor is the selection though in the hope he can trap well enough to see him use his early pace to best advantage and reach the turn before the inevitable crowding amongst greyhounds sure to benefit from the look around unfamiliar ground.

Betting: 10-11 All About Taylor, 10-3 Sonic Ruby, 7-1 Dark Magic, 15-2 Shrewd Boe, 14-1 Starshinedestiny, Pippapippapops

Next up at 7.51pm is the Nathan’s Farewell Trophy staged over the demanding 730m course.

Anybody who knows Nathan Corden will tell you the same thing, a very inoffensive man who loves the sport and is one of few people working in prominent positions in our game who would still be stood alongside you even if he wasn’t in paid employment.

You either have a passion for this sport or it’s a pay cheque and I can quite categorically say that in Nathan’s case it is without doubt a passion. He will be sorely missed by all at the track and I wish him and his family all the very best going forward.

The race can go to Kevin Hutton’s Skilful Daisy who comes into this race after being eliminated from the RPGTV St Leger at Perry Barr.

Daisy looks a talented stayer in the making for the Hutton team and though she’s drawn wider than ideal here in trap five, there is a real dearth of early pace drawn on her inside and with a level break and with the longer run to the turn over this six-bend trip than the more commonly used 680m course, she can soon take command.

Chris Akers Causeway Sergie is a talented sort who reached the Coral Regency Semi Final at Hove earlier in the year. He could find himself a little more prominent in this race than he usually does and for a greyhound who lacks a little bit of track craft that should prove beneficial. He can stay on well to fill the forecast spot.

Betting: 10-11 Skilful Daisy, 7-2 Dorando Double, 11-2 Causeway Sergie, 9-1 Riley Ray, 10-1 Our Supreme Sue, 10-1 Glassmoss Sis

Another RPGTV National Sprint Trial Stakes at 8.06pm where thankfully all six participants have previous experience of the venue.

This is a high-class affair but the selection is with a greyhound who I rate as one of the fastest sprinters in training and who I have privately recorded clocking one of the fastest splits to the turn that I have ever witnessed here at Nottingham.

Simon Harms Loggies Lito can have this race sewn up by the time they hit the bend, he’s a high-class individual and looks sure to be a leading player in the competition proper when it gets underway in December. Lynn Cook’s Swift Taxman is a high-class sort who equalled the June 2014 track record of Target Harris in a trial recently, he’s sure to be better suited from a trapping perspective from trap 2 here tonight than when racing from the red jacket against the selection on Derby Final night.

Betting: 4-6 Loggies Lito, 3-1 Swift Taxman, 11-2 Carter Bar, 8-1 Ballydorgan Des, 14-1 Kelsey Phoenix, 28-1 Sherry Baby

The ARC Trophy over 480m is next at 8.21pm and is a race where stakes should be kept to a minimum.

It’s a competitive affair with any number of possibilities. Draws win races though and as such the token selection is with Carol Grasso’s Jet Stream Socks. Apparently well drawn wide runners can often be the victims of greyhounds moving off at the turn through the result of the predicted trouble and what look like dream draws can often turn to nightmares in the blink of an eye, I’ll take a chance though that ‘Socks’ can produce one of his better draws and if laying prominently heading into the second bend can swoops by as inside rival’s crowd at the third bend.

Betting: 9-4 Hopes Bullet, 11-4 Plaza Lep, 5-1 Bockos Boss, 6-1 Final Mad, 13-2 Jet Stream Socks, 12-1 Moanteen Usyk

Another National Sprint Trial Stakes at 8.36pm and one which can go the way of Kevin Boon’s Atarah King.

Boon has made the swift decision to step this dog down in trip, he’s shown excellent pace over four bends in his early races here in the UK and in a sprint of this nature and with experience of the track under his belt that can pay dividends.

‘King’ recorded an excellent 494 split when leading in his heat of the RPGTV Puppy Trophy here on Derby semi-final night before being well beaten in the final itself behind upcoming superstar Tenpin.

Boon’s charge also led for a very long way in a 476m maiden open at Swindon before once more succumbing to stronger running rivals.

He looks to me as if he’ll be well suited to the short four bend trips of Crayford and Romford going forward but in the context of tonight’s race he should have enough in the locker to land the spoils.

Betting: 9-4 Swift Biscuit, 15-2 Ataragh King, 5-1 Loggies Wanted, 6-1 Strides Farran, 13-2 Aero Madrid, 14-1 Carparkattendant

 The British Bred Midlands Sprint Final is next up at 8.52pm and can go to Nathan Hunt’s Aero Rackitup.

Perfectly drawn in trap 3 this evening he looked all set to run out an easy winner of his heat last week when breaking well.

Running into a turn which he’d only previously experienced once before when leading in a 500m Derby Trial Stakes back in March, he eased somewhat in unfamiliar surroundings and allowed the pack to close.

He showed battling qualities though and held off the strong finishing Liz McNair trained King Drake by a short head in a close photo finish.

I’m taking him to once again break well but on this occasion I expect him to run into the turn with much more confidence and run out a more comfortable winner than last time out.

Betting: 2-1 King Drake, 7-2 Signature Callum, 9-2 Aero Rackitup, 13-2 Fabulous Skylar, 10-1 Houston Main, 16-1 Saffrons Xpress

The BGBF British Breeders Stakes Final at 9.11pm and Liz McNair’s Queen Dolly is forecast a strong odds-on favourite for good reason.

‘Dolly’ has been simply outstanding when destroying firstly her heat opposition when equalling the best ever time recorded by a bitch over course and distance, matching the 2927 set by Queen Beyonce in the first round of the 2019 Derby.

In her semi-final it was once again ‘Dolly’ against the clock once she’d cleared the similarly early paced Dark Ocean at the first bend. On this occasion was slower but by just the 1 spot as she hit the finish in 2928.

From a plot draw and despite facing numerous high class rivals this final is ‘Dolly’s’ for the taking and she should need just a level break to seal the deal.

Betting: 4-9 Queen Dolly, 4-1 King Louis, 8-1 Acomb Lillian, 10-1 Amka Rofe, 16-1 Signet Hawk, 33-1 Screen Dancer

Last but by no means least we have one final RPGTV National Sprint Trial Stakes.

At what should be a fair price and despite the lack of a look around I’m siding with Richard Joyce’s Feather Breeze.

Previously trained by Derek Knight at Hove where he ran out a facile winner of his last two D1 events at the track, he’s since joined Joyce where he recorded a more than decent 16.25 calculated in a trial at Central Park last week.

To put the run into context Troy Bella holds the track record at 1599 and the fastest time of 2020 is the 16.12 recorded by Shrewd Call. The run highlight’s the dogs pace perfectly and at the forecast odds of 6/1 I’ll take a chance that he can reproduce something like that effort on what is his first look at Nottingham.

Betting: 7-4 Grays Cup Winner, 5-2 Coolavanny Messi, 5-1 Heathlawn O Hara, 6-1 Gentle Storm, 9-1 Signature Jack, 10-1 Feather Breeze