The semi finals of the St.Leger and Birmingham Cup are the week’s feature competitions and both are worthy of note. Defending champ Droopys Clue is unbeaten in five races over the 710m trip including three times between 42.74-42.76. Aayamza Sydney has open winning form up to 659m. The Perry Barr 480 is his shortest winning trip though the 28.00 semi victory is the fastest over course and distance this year. The Mullins runner is one of five Droopys Sydney offspring in the Brum Cup final.
The most emphatic winner of the week though is surely Avongate Venus with another exemplary display in the bet365 Empress Stakes Final. That is 11 wins from Phil Milner’s joint track record holder and her ninth in a row. It is an incredible display of ability and training. Interestingly, on 20 September last year Venus failed to record a time in a trial at Kilkenny when trained elsewhere, with the official formline of ‘DidNotStart’. Patience bringing its rewards – and some!
But selecting a top performance isn’t always that straightforward. Take the Romford Friday night card where the fastest run of the week was recorded by the experienced, Whitewood Lenny (23.72). But what about the Puppy Cup heat winners? Quickest of these was Michelle Brown’s 23 month old Roanna Mamba (23.92). But he is only four weeks younger than Brindle Bully (23.79) who was ineligible for the Puppy Cup. So we’ll stick with Maxine Locke’s Lenny. It’s easier that way.
On the flip side of that – every week Kinsley stage one race – normally an A2 – that is clearly the ‘Race of the Week’ irrespective of times. Last week’s ROW/POW was won by Sober Ballad. The week’s equivalent took place on Friday with Ballad’s place taken by Springview Zoe. The other five remained in situ and it was Dave Cooper’s ex-Oxford A4 runner Deelish Lucy – fourth last week – who came out on top with a new PB from a 27.54 run.
The situation isn’t so dissimilar at Harlow where any race featuring the likes of Over Easy or Essjay John is likely to be their feature event. No sign of Over Easy this week but Essjay John was made favourite to win Friday’s night’s A2. It didn’t go so well though with bragging rights being seized by a fellow member of the Saberton kennel, Gothic Icon. The litter brother to the Towcester 712m record holder Savana Jackpot, clocked 26.47.
It’s been a busy week for ‘Romeo Dave’ Firmager whose Romeo Crusade clocked the quickest of the Produce Stakes semi finals at Swindon on Thursday. However, we will have to swerve the 28.06 runner in favour of Southfield Duke with a 27.94 run on the same card. Regular readers will remember Duke as the dog who arrived from Ireland with a complete card of eight second places. (He wasn’t dodgy, he just didn’t see out 525yds). His 27.94 was just one spot off the quickest time of the year.
On the same night but at the other end of the country, a different ‘Romeo’ was impressing the Geordies. February ’23 pup Romeo Alonso clocked a flying 28.49 for the Newcastle 480 having come from last to first in just his second race. The fact that one of the track’s best and most experienced bitches, Wraysbury Katie, was only 17 spots quicker only stamps for the form for both of them.
Then on Saturday night at Doncaster there were a brace of Romeos and Fabulous winners. Most impressive of the lot was English Derby runner-up Romeo Command with a 29.24 run – five spots outside the fastest 483m of the year – in the heats of the Yorkshire Derby. That’s career win 27 from 42 races.
Arthur Cornflake failed by an ever reducing head to catch the previously mentioned Southfield Duke when the pair met at Swindon three weeks ago. (The paid had also contested the same Juvenile Derby heat at Shelbourne, won by Syd Zafiro). On Saturday night, Pat Godfrey’s white and brindle was the most impressive open race winner at Monmore with a 28.25 (+10) run. A mention too for local Jan ’23 pup Do Gooder with a 28.34 win earlier in the week.
Murrow Inkosi’s 27.55 run in tne East Anglian Derby semis did not make the year’s ten fastest times for the Yarmouth standard distance but it was an identical time to the quickest first round win by Druids Say Go. The Richard Fitch-trained local has won five of his ten Yarmouth outings to date. On the same card, Little Luke and Breton Molly recorded the joint fastest 659m runs in 2024. Gutsy Jet set the standard a year ago in 40.19.
The fastest hound over Nottingham’s 480m trip, Velvet Madrid, went to the same traps on Monday but was four lengths off that run when winning in 28.73. One race earlier though, Sarah Spillane’s Links Weapon completed a dual distance hat-trick in 28.68 (+40).
Connections of Ballycharm might consider themselves unlucky as their runner went a spot quicker than last week’s POW with a 15.74 sprint but doesn’t get selected. The reason for that is Laughil Larry’s six length A1 win in 27.08 +10) for the standard distance. It has been a tough struggle for a dog with just eight races over course and distance in the seven months since qualifying. But he has won six of them with one KO. If Ann Lagan can keep him sound, a sub 27.00 may not be far away.
Antigua Bingo started favourite for her semi – won by No Rush – but finished a length off a place in last year’s Oaks Final. She was back at Hove on Thursday as one of only three runners to break 29.00 for the 500m course this year. The track wasn’t conducive to that sort of run but the strapping wench (at a chunky 35 kilos) nevertheless clocked the night’s best run in 29.29. The litter sister to Golden Sprint winner Front Alice looks destined for the breeding paddocks in time.
The £20K PGR Kent Derby gets underway in early October so expect the Central Park opens to become increasingly tasty in the next fortnight. King Combs became only the second hound to break 29.00 this year with a 28.96 run on Saturday. The only hound quicker is his ‘cousin’ Queen Joni (28.91).
Nine spots is a decent chunk to take off a sprint track record but Silver Salver runner-up My Lenny did just that with a 14.78 run for the Oxford 253m on Saturday night. (He had actually recorded 14.77 in a sprint solo). That is six wins and a second in his last seven outings over course and distance.
When there is little to choose between two outstanding performers, and one of the them is the defending POW, then they tend to retain their belt. So Different Speed just shaded the call at Valley after completing his ten-timer on Sunday and win no.22 in Wales. A mention too for the British bred 460m track record holder Cassidy following a 28.05 run over four bends.
All of which would suggest that Laughil Jess with the fastest 540 run at Crayford this week should be a shoo-in for some gold lettering. The defending POW clocked 33.65 which was almost a length quicker than Slick Sabo (33.72) on the same card. Between them though was Four From Two and his 33.71 was achieved despite having to jump five hurdles. That’s four in a row for a dog DQd in a Hove A1 six months ago.
It was a fairly low key week at Sheffield where Barrie Draper’s Westway Lucy produced the only sub 29.00 run for the standard distance with a 28.99 run. How does that compare with the quickest 480 of the week, the 27.61 from Jacintas Lady? Its hard to say but we’ve given the Heilbron bitch the benefit of the doubt.
Pelaw Grange with only 10 races per week – but no empty traps – produced the final selection of the week. With most of the track’s elite performers on the open race circuit, the highest grade race, an A2 was won by Cloncunny Black in a comparatively pedestrian, 26.11. That was only the third quickest time on the card with the selection being A3 winner, Dairhill Suzi.
