Sunday afternoon is the 2023 Saturday night with the best of this week’s open race action taking place at Central Park and Towcester plus a welcome back to the open race scene for Kinsley.
The £12,500 ARC Cesarewitch reached the semi final stages and local favourite Jurassic Rose produced the quicker of the two qualifying victories, a 45.30 on going rated -100. To date Tony Collett’s bitch has seven races over 700m+. Beaten in her first two over the Crayford eight bend course, she has since won her last five.
At the same time, Towcester were staging the eight ‘trialstakes’ of the Stadium Bookmakers Blue Riband. Among the string of stars on display were Lautaro and Mr Chelm. The last time the pair met was in last year’s Star Sports/Towcester E&L English Derby semi final where the latter, under his previous name of Kildare, made it through to the decider, while Lautaro finished fourth. Both were on the comeback trail on Sunday and Patrick Janssens Lautaro seems to be a little further along it, as evident by a 29.09 victory. The brindle and white is actually the second fastest hound ever over course and distance, his 28.84 recorded eight months ago is just six spots outside the track record.
Kinsley staged opens over two, four and six bends, plus a maiden, and have more scheduled every week until mid-Feb. The pick of this week’s quartet was probably Brynoffa Bob with a 27.88 (-20) run for the standard. That is six wins and two seconds from his nine races to date for Craig Brown’s black.
At Romford, Low Pressure put himself into Essex Vase contention (starts on Friday) with a 34.82 (FON) run over the 575m course at the weekend. Also on Friday, Headford Harry set the first new track record of the year with a 15.00 run for Oxford’s 253m. Out of interest, that is exactly 50 spots slower than his Swindon 262m clock (since broken). A good run too from British bred pup Gooner over four bends (27.29).
Tony Collett was also very much to the fore for Crayford’s Saturday morning opens. Liz’s Fancy completed a five-timer with a 33.84 run over the 540m course. Borna Rhythm on the other hand, did 34.03 over the hurdles, just half a length off the FOY for 2022.
Among the 2023 schedule changes, are a switch of the Swindon’s Sunday opens to Saturday mornings starting next week. This week’s Saturday fixture was run on a wet track so times were nothing special. However earlier in the week, the youngster Ontheperkyside produced a 28.69 (-20), easily the best of the day, thlough she was pipped by a 28.54 (-20) run by British Bred Oaks finalist, Snooty Bella.
On the subject of British breds, there was a flying 27.16 was locally born Witton Survivor who saw off a decent class A1 at Sunderland. While at Nottingham, it was two home bred sisters who dominated proceedings. Although Kenin was marginally fastest (29.74) in A2, we’ll edge it to Bencic who completed a four-timer when taking the A1 in 29.83.
There was a similar story of home bred success at Hove where Molly Maid gave a very passable imitation of her mum with a calculated 29.52 win in A1.
Like Nottingham, Sheffield also had a rest from the open racers for a week but it was Chasing Norma – who had finished down the field behind Romeo Commander in the Ladbrokes Maiden – who produced the best A1 win of the week, a very respectable 28.92.
Despite heavy local rain throughout the week, Henlow ran the majority of its races to within 20 spots of normal. Only Murrow Encanto broke 28.00 though with an easy A3 win in 27.97 (-10). Santas Supreme clocked the quickest time of the week at sister track Suffolk Downs, but her 23.68 was on (+10) going in A4 company. So she is passed over in favour of kennelmate Energize Rose. The sister of track record holder Saffrons Dash clocked a career best 23.77 when completing a hat-trick in A1.
Essex neighbour Harlow is almost impossible to call with no Wednesday opens and on a track where the timer has always been of limited use. So the cautious selection is Badminton Shadow with an A5 win in 26.71 on -30.
The Newcastle A1s remain as competitive as ever with a length covering probably a dozen and a half runners. This week’s quickest, though only by a neck, was then lightweight (28 kilo) white and black, Snake Root with a 28.68 run.
Monday provided the best weather for Yarmouth’s track staff and the week’s only sub 28.00 run by Paul Burr’s Buzz Magic. Nice run too though by the locally bred April pup, Jaffa (Ballymac Inspeed-Rackethall Jess, Apr 21) when taking another A1 in 28.01.
Monmore has struggled with slow going in recent weeks and was running (+10) when Longacres Storm landed an A1 in 28.40 early in the week. But on Saturday it was track champ Aero Squeak who produced a superior 28.41 (N) on Saturday night. That is four out of five for Aran Dunne’s black. The sole defeat was behind the mighty Coolavanny Aunty over 630. The four wins were in A1 (x3) and D1.
This time last year, Bit View Mikey looked set for a career in Nottingham’s middle grades. By year end, he was mixing it in A2, but a switch to Perry Barr has done him the world of good. A 28.91 open winner back in December, he produced the performance of his career last week when taking an A2 by eight lengths in 28.39.
Doncaster probably have seven or eight A1 performers who are virtually inseparable. On Sunday, Lightfoot Patel (15-8f), Lightfoot Shapp (9-4), Keady Moment (5-2) and Ferryforth Davy (4-1) had a good Yorkshire square up with Shapp coming out in front in 30.23 (-50). But earlier in the week, it was ‘Lightfoots’ Tereza (9-4) and Doak (1-2f) who with a score to settle. In a battle of the ‘Parkers’ it was Lightfoot Tereza who came off best with a 30.06 (-60) run.
The Pelaw shoot-out is even simpler with one A1 each week. Last week’s went to the veteran Hollyhill Magic (7-1) with Ballyroyal Diaz second, Errill Can (6-4f) third and Westport fifth. Punters reckoned Ballyroyal Diaz an unlucky loser made his a 5-2f to put matters right. That he did in some style with a 25.70 run with Westport second.
