There were a number of notable performances at Sheffield yesterday. Coppice Rocket turned over serial winning sprinter Romeo To Victory in a sharp 15.79. Catunda Layla proved her 27.51 FOY for the 480 was no fluke by repeating the feat. However, as a spectacle, you would go a long way to see a better buckle than the clash between Savana Heross and Hurry Up Jordan.
Follow a bitch in form they say. Druids Say Go continues with her fabulous run of form at Romford. That’s six in a row from a combination of the three inside boxes and the fastest time in each round of the Golden Sprint to date.
It seems a bit harsh after another fabulous display of track craft and ability to overlook Ballymac Taylor following her Oxford marathon win on Friday – though with the TV Trophy starting later this week, she may not be overlooked for a second time. Nevertheless, we have to acknowledge the second fastest time ever recorded over the six bend course by Droopys Clue, just half a length outside the track record.
Clue was the only hound to break 29.00 for Central Park’s 491m course prior to Saturday night’s meeting (he did it twice). So King Memphis’ 28.98 is technically the third quickest run over course and distance. A mention too for Coonough Crow breaking the 664m record by three spots. There is probably a few more chunks to come off that in the coming weeks and months.
At Nottingham, Coppice Gracie had six lengths to spare over the next quickest heat winner in the BGBF British Breeders Stakes first round. The Jimmy Fenwick trained black began life in A7 at Newcastle and has now won 12 of her 21 races.
Gracie isn’t the only high class British bred hound in the kennel. Greenwell Ovett has been transferred from owner John Flaherty’s range to the Fenwick kennel at Bothal with no noticeable change of form. On Saturday he made it three wins in four races with the fastest win in the Ladbrokes Puppy Derby Trialstakes (he found six spots on his previous run).
A slow track perhaps covered up for an overall fairly average set of Thursday night opens. Times were nothing special with Selsey Bullet producing, arguably the run of the meeting. But then on Saturday night, Clona Uriel, in his first race back after a five month injury lay-off, beat an A1 field in a calculated 29.32. Well done The Blond Knight.
Last week’s POW at Swindon Untold Zloty managed to find a couple of lengths on his fastest 476 of the year, but he has to be overshadowed by the 15.06 track record for track specialist sprinter Dashing Dude. From 10 races over course and distance, that’s nine wins and one 2nd (sh).
After a couple of humbling defeats, Alberts Legacy returned to form to win Yarmouth’s top A1 of the week. But the big players were all off open racing, he will have to wait for the likes of Smores and Inflation to return before he can claim back his ‘top dog’ status. And he’ll have to step up on the 28.15 (-10) run.
At Doncaster, Phil Barlow’s Wicky Hiker produced the quickest 450 of the year to date, 27.45. That’s a fourth win in five races for the former Sheffield A1 runner.
El Tornillo burst onto the scene over the Doncaster with a 27.30 (FOY – 2023) run for the Doncaster short four bends at just 19 months old. He had won seven races since then, though in all honesty, nothing of that calibre. But on Sunday afternoon, Dave Lee’s dark brindle gave a pretty broad hint that Towcester might be his track with a seven length 29.10 run over the English Derby course.
Swift Uno won a Harlow A1 on Wednesday. Alberta Jamie won an A2 in a a faster time at the same meeting. Essjay Hilda and Gurtnacrehy Crew both won A1s on Friday. With going allowance taken into account, Lemming Pride’s 26.38 (+10) is marginally slower, but she also gets to play the ‘puppy’ joker.
A couple of decent runs at Suffolk Downs including a new FOY for the 716m for Droopys Flotilla. Overall though, the 33.97 win of Moaning Rossi – 30 spots outside the track record – was arguably a better run.
It has taken a while for Killieford Goram to return to his best form. This time last year he just missed out on a place in the Northern Puppy Derby Final. Following a series of A2 defeats, he produced a 28.82 run which proved to be the quickest of the week at Newcastle.
Perry Barr track champ Darley Diglake won for the fifth time in his last six races at Perry Barr on Saturday. The thing is though, he clocked 28.43 while Allowdale Cazoo clocked 28.40 to bring her recent record to five from six. But this isn’t her home venue and she would ideally prefer a bit longer. You wouldn’t argue with her anyway – at 33.7kg, she is also bigger than Darley (32.8kg). A mention too for Cappaneale Rocky with the fastest sprint so far this year.
It wouldn’t be very often that Sunderland’s quickest run of the week would fail to break 27.40. That was the case this week though Rattling West’s 27.43 was his third consecutive win and in A1 company.
For possibly the first time (?) the Valley selection comes from a graded runner going quicker than the week’s open racers. Kilbride Star who ran once in A3 at Suffolk Downs for Patrick Janssens, clocked the quickest run of the week for four bends, 28.60.
Another five-timer for Ricky Holloway at Crayford on Sunday evening. The best run was arguably a toss up between hurdler Coppice Fox and marathoner Dazl Rolex. We’ve gone with the latter for his first win following his Golden Jacket success in 44.97.
Ballymac Don was looking to become the third hound in gold type when he went to traps for Kinsley’s top race of the week, a spicey A3, on Sunday evening. The pup made a decent stab at it too, but was probably foiled as much by the weather as eventual winner Caydans Destiny. Having led for 461 metres, Bev Heaton’s 9/4 joint favourite was brindle short headed by Ilijan Zivkovic’s 28.28 (-10) winner.
It was a similar story at Pelaw where Mucky Buick was looking to back-up his A2 win last week. But after a fast break the 2/1 favourite was bundled out of contention with the contest ultimately going to July pup Killieford Sarah in 26.26. A mention too for the day’s quickest winner, Emilys Superstar (26.18). A clash of the youngsters would be worth seeing. As for Sarah, she’s from a very useful litter as a glance on the table below might indicate.
