It was practically impossible to separate the Birmingham Cup and St Leger first round winners at Perry Barr. ‘Boony’s’ Bockos Thunder gave a start and beating to favourite Cunnigar Yousir and was just seven spots off the fastest 480 of the year. The Cahill’s defending champ Droopys Clue was five spots short of Haka Carlo’s FOY for the 710m course with a 42.74 (N) run. His track record is 42.33.
Bockos Thunder’s litter brother Stonepark Wes was out to defend his Doncaster POW belt on Saturday night. It didn’t go well with a narrow defeat by Acomb Alfie. Quicker than both though was Debbie Calvert’s fabulous veteran, Jaguar Jacob with a 29.66 (-20) run for the 483m. Of his last 14 races over course and distance, he has won half.
The David Mullins Puppy Cup (otherwise known as the Romford Puppy Cup) gets underway on Friday. Having won it the last four years, and recently landed the Jenningsbet Puppy Classic, he might give everyone a chance this time round. The last of the trialstakes took place on Friday and it was Matt Dartnall’s Fire And Ice who shone the most brightly following a 23.64 run. And to think, had he been born just 24 hours earlier, he would have been ineligible to take part (whelped 1 October 2022).
On September 3 2023, Druids Say Go contested her first race above 450 metres when she finished fifth in a Towcester 500m open. On Wednesday September 4 2024, she contested her second, when clocking the quickest first round time in the heats of the Click East Anglian Derby at Yarmouth. Caution advised though. Twelve times winner Charlie Lister reckons in takes ‘a 480 type’ to win the event, and only two females have succeeded in the last 49 years, one of which was his, Terrydrum Kate.
On Thursday night Swindon staged the second round of the Produce Stakes where Union Rebel produced the quickest run, 28.34 on going rated at -30. While the time was ‘nothing special’, the Swindon going allowances need to be given close attention given there was a half second disparity between the two runs. The former Oxford track record holder (26.44), has a best of 28.03 (+20) at Lady Lane.
Big Kev Hutton was also competing at Oxford on Saturday where Towcester sales purchase Coppice Warrior led home Coppice Tenzin in the night’s top 450m open. A mention too for another ‘Big Kev’ with two Bet365 Challenge probables Savana Memories (39.73) and Savana Aurora (39.83) both winning over six bends for promoter Boothby.
There wasn’t a lot between the winners over four different distances at Hove on Thursday. Following a significant bout of pen chewing, we’ve gone for the quickest 500m winner on the card, Burrows Trigger in his first race as an adult. Jason Heath’s 29.64 (-10) winner was contesting his seventh race at Nevill Road and winning for the fifth time: A7, A5, A4, and heats and final of a Cat 3 comp.
Toddys Ace (28.72) was the quickest winner at Newcastle on Thursday, but we try to be a bit more inventive in the selections than simply going for the fastest time (though that will usually have significant clout). Instead, we are going for the November pup Tromora Meg (28.95) who has now won her last five in a row on three different tracks between 435-480m.
Back at her home track Pelaw, Brynoffa Pippy continues to prosper in Meg’s absence. Twice beaten by the open racer in August, Pippy continues to take full advantage of her absence with her first A1 win on Sunday.
In terms of last week’s stars defending their titles. . there were two quicker winners than Over Easy this week; Blue Genie (26.43), and the former POW Lemming Pride (26.32). But while they were in A3 and A4 respectively, they were also on a Monday track rated at +20. Although defending champ only clocked 26.58 (N), it was in A1 company on Friday, and was her seventh consecutive win at The Pinnacles.
As soon as Catunda Ciaran crossed the winning line on Sunday, his four-timer alone was enough to ensure that he would be the Sheffield selection. But then the time flashed up for Steve Naylor’s black, 28.79. With no other hound breaking the 29.00 barrier during the week, VAR intervention was not required.
Some 17 minutes earlier, at a track 100 miles down the M1, Avongate Venus had landed a semi final of the Empress Stakes that would have graced a final. Phil Milner’s black clocked a 3.95 sectional on the way to becoming the fastest female over the Derby course when equalling Barntick Bear’s 28.52 track record.
The fastest 500m open race run at Nottingham on Monday was Carol Weatherall’s pup Clona King’s 29.87 in a bloodless four dog race. He started at 1/6f. Mentions too for Links Weapon with a 29.81 quickest run of the night and Jill Llewellins’s home bred Jan ’23 pup Wolf Gold with a 29.97 run.
Kinsley’s best race of the week took place on Friday where Da Man Joey – the defending POW following a 27.67 run last week – was made 11/4jf with another of the track’s elite runners, Kilara Thyestes. But it didn’t go quite to plan as both were beaten three and a half lengths by Sober Ballad. His winning time was also 27.67. His previous two wins have been in 27.68 and 27.67. The quickest run of the week was Springview Zoe’s 27.57 though that was on +40 going and in A3 company.
There were a string of ‘28.40s’ at Monmore in the last week, the quickest of which was Bang On Carson with a 28.40. But as an overall performance, we have to look to the sprinters and the 15.24 from Richie Taberner’s, Alien Bolt. Not only did he turn over the highly rated Magical Bluebear, but he was only nine spots short of the year’s quickest sprint by Bombout Bullet.
With Sunday’s Valley card hit by wet weather, and times affected, the safest bet is to stick with another sprinter, in this case the almost unbeatable, Different Speed. Having built a winning sequence of 13 earlier in the year, the Harrison hound is back with another nine-timer. His most recent winning time was 56 spots outside his 260m track record, though allowing for going allowances, he was within a couple of lengths of it.
And another early paced specialist. . . Sunderland’s most notable winner this week was a Beige greyhound. With the fastest four bend winner failing to break 27.40 this week, Dean Blackbird’s bizarrely named black (you would guess he would be a fawn) saw off a D3 field in 15.75 (8th fastest in 2024).
Nothing jumps off the result sheet in terms of the Central Park standard distance runners this week. Quickest of the lot was A3 winner Blue Christmas in 29.56. The week’s fastest sprinter was D1 winner Extra Place. But the selection is six bend open winner Marvellous Mabel. Luke Morrison’s former Oxford A4 runner seems to have benefitted from four unsuccessful trips to Hove for the best race of her career to date.
The last selection of the week came in the last race of the week as Dave Lee’s Laughil Jess destroyed a Crayford 540m open race field in 33.43. It was the Gold Collar winner’s 18th success over course and distance – and also a new PB – three spots faster than her previous best.
