The most lucrative final of the week was the ARC Cesarewitch at Central Park where Garfiney Blaze kept his unbeaten record of three from three for the MWD Partnership and on each occasion he broke the track record. Just as a matter of interest though, his 43.70 was still 35 spots outside Brimardon Star’s clock for the old 708m. Was it genuinely not as quick, or are there considerations?
Earlier the same day there was also a track record for the BGBF Puppy Cup winner Romeo Cypher at Oxford. Just one tiny note of caution though. As merited as the 26.47 win was, Cypher certainly had the benefit of a fast track. The following race, an A2, was won in 26.65. Credit too for the four months younger Keephill Maverick who was beaten less than three lengths after bouncing off the inside rail.
The third Cat One final of the weekend went to another British bred, though not the ‘Romeo’ double that most were anticipating. Signet Goofy, bred by Kevin Hutton four years and three days earlier, and reared by trainer John Mullins, had been to the Towcester 500m traps on 34 previous occasions . He had a best sectional time of 4.03. Until Sunday. When he clocked 3.96.Those seven spots, were the difference between winning by a neck and losing by half a length.
Following a series of costly failures, Savva Roberts’ Tipperary Cup winner Pape Di Oro finally broke his UK duck at Romford on Friday with the fastest first round heats of the Coral Silver Maiden. His 24.23 was recorded on -40 going immediately before the meeting was suspended due to a freezing track. But then this is a dog who has already reached two Cat One finals including the recent All England Cup Final.
Talking of Newcastle, there were a couple of trialstake for the Northern Puppy Derby on Thursday, the quickest of which went to 16 month old Coppice Sapphire. Despite the quality of the run, and even allowing for age, we can’t look past the night’s six length A1 winner Wraysbury Katie who produced a 28.36 run. The half sister of Fromposttopillar will presumably eventually turn up in the breeding paddocks.
At Sunderland, the quickest run of the week was from A2 winner Murphys Coco with a 27.30 (+10) run. But that was in A2, while Yvonne Bell’s defending POW Calton Joe contested an A1 on Sunday and got home by just over a length in 27.50 (N). That’s an A3-A2-A1-A1 four-timer. The biggest surprise though was his SP, 6/1.
In their careers, very few greyhounds ever put together a ten-timer. The remarkable Yahoo Megan has achieved just that by the age of 20 months old and a career of just 14 races. Patrick Janssens’ Suffolk Downs sprint record holder landed a 388m open by a little over six lengths on Friday on going rated -40. A run that just has ‘potential’ written all over it.
Only just behind is Glenmalure Flyer, the undisputed Welsh champion who took his winning sequence to nine when landing the quickest standard distance open at Valley on Sunday morning. He is yet to be beaten over either two or four bends and recorded his fastest 460 to date, 28.31.
Bitumen isn’t quite on Flyer’s level but Lynn Cook’s black extended his sequence to seven and nine from his his 11 outings with another open win over the Nottingham 480m course on Friday.
Leighas Dream completed a hat-trick for the Denby kennel at Doncaster on Saturday night. But April pup Havana Meanie was only a length slower on his first visit to the track. Expect plenty more from the half brother to Links Top Gun and Havana Top Note.
There were a series of decent runs over four different open race distances by hounds of assorted ages at Hove on Thursday. Choosing between them is tough, but we’ve gone for Jason Heath’s puppy sprinter Antigua Sun who was just 15 spots slower than Gougane Jet’s FOY for 2023.
It was a similar story at Sheffield on Sunday. There was a 15.97 for sprinter Elanne Best. Fearsome Enigma produced a 27.74 run for the 480m course. Maximum Security – who else – landed the quickest 660 open in 39.28. But we’ve gone for the quickest 500m open race winner on the night, Skywalker Pele following an excellent 28.55 run, a time only bettered seven times in 2023.
Returning to the subject of puppy trialstakes, the 28.57 (-20) Monmore run by Gemma Evans June youngster Droopys Vivacity is worthy in its own right. However it was also for only 18 spots slower than the experienced Collavanny Shado on the same card. The PGR Puppy Derby gets underway on March 16.
A week earlier Ballymac Loca was beaten a length by Gagas Merry in what turned out to be a POW effort over Swindon’s 682m course. But on Thursday, Angie Kibble’s blue raised her game to reverse the form at find 27 spots in the process
There is nothing as overrated as a poor open or as underrated as a cracking top heat. Perry Barr’s POW was always going to come from a cracking A1 which featured defending champ Glimmer Man, along with a selection of previous recipients of the accolade. It didn’t disappoint with Swift Prank holding off another of the local stars, Crafty San Diego by a length in 23.38.
Similarly, every Kinsley regular would know that any race with Ay Up Frederick, Outback Abigail and Ballymac Alyssa in the line-up will be the track’s best race of the week. The trio met for the umpteenth time on Sunday. The punters guessed right with 27.88 winner.
The Pelaw Grange equivalent of Frederick, Alyssa and co are Mustang Tyson, Milagro, Annadown Cuddles and Sandyhill Jess. They were split between separate A2s on Sunday evening. Tyson and Jess both won their respective races with the former having the advantage on the clock.
There are certain dogs who are always likely to ‘do a time’ when they get a clear run. Yarmouth A1 hound Puckane Sydney is one of them. The 29.84 Nottingham (500) trialist already had a 27.66 on his card for the Caister Road circuit. Last Wednesday he reduced his PB to 27.52. In all of 2023, there were only seven quicker times recorded, three of those belonged to Coolavanny Shado (27.28 best). And Sydney didn’t lead until off the second bend. So how far will he stay?
Harlow’s winning times can sometimes seem a bit ‘random’ with midgrade winners regularly going quicker than the opens. There were no O/Rs this week and the graded form worked out particularly well, at least in races run on the same day. On Monday they staged an A3 and two A2s that were won in 26.67, 26.62 and 26.61. They were all won by Debbie Hurlock trained hounds, not that that would be a huge surprise. The kennel actually won 14 of the 24 races. Quickest of the trio was Classic Emma.
The 2024 PGR Golden Jacket gets underway in a little over three weeks time and the multi Cat One finalist Lively Lauren was given a taster of the 714m at Crayford on Sunday evening. She made a great fist of it but was caught in the last five metres by Ricky Holloway’s Dazl Rolex who won in a very decent, 45.25. Definitely one for the notebook. Rolex took on, and was beaten by Garfiney Blaze in last summer’s Corn Cuchulainn at Shelbourne. She was only 17 months old at the time and has a recent 33.19 over the Kent 540m course.
The last selection at the last meeting, goes to the defending Henlow POW Do It Des who completed a hat-trick with a ½ length 28.27 FON un on -70 going.
