Perry Barr’s big meeting turned out to be a damp squib but not before Aero Treat had made an impressive UK debut for Richie Taberner. The Shelbourne regular clocked 28.85 in one of only two races staged on Saturday. Conveniently perhaps (!) the -50 guesstimated going, gave her a calculated time within a spot of her trial.
No such issues at Treat’s home track Monmore on Saturday night where a series of opens looked set to dominate the card. But it was A2 winner Hilton Wolf who produced the quickest win of the night. Pat Doocey’s hound had qualified straight into A1 following a 28.58 trial. Three months on, he took full advantage of the grader’s charitable drop to A2 to win by eight lengths in 28.24. That’s probably an end to the generous gestures!
Similarly, Doncaster was running well on Saturday with a couple of ‘top 10’ times. Acomb Felix picked up his 17th win this year over the 450m course in 27.42. But the selection is Tom Heilbron’s Greenwell Coe with the quickest run in the Yorkshire Derby semi finals. The 29.27 clock is a length off the fastest time of the year jointly held by Agile Annie and Avongate Venus.
My Lennie was another giving the Oxford racing office a bit of free guidance with their going allowances. Last week he set a new sprint record of 14.78 on normal going. This week he clocked 14.87 that was then assessed as a calculated 14.77. To be entirely fair, the form almost franked itself anyway. Both wins were over Alwayspotterless and there was only three quarters of a length between the two winning margins.
Sticking with the sprinters theme, the understated Not So Slow was back in action at Towcester again on Sunday and won like a 1/5 chance should. Seven lengths in 15.52. That’s six wins in eight races over course and distance for the Janssens’ trained black whose PB is just three quarters of a length outside the track record at 15.41.
On Thursday, Yarmouth staged the 50th running of the East Anglian Derby since the track switched from independent racing. Prior to Druids Say Go’s victory, only two of the previous 49 winners were female, Westmead Dance (’77) and Terrydrum Kate (’96). Only one winner has bettered Kate’s 27.26 run, the Lister trained Newinn Shadow (27.23).
Talking of ‘Sydney daughters’, Queen Joni hadn’t raced for nearly three months when she went to boxes at Hove on Thursday night. Sent out a 2/7f, the four-time Cat One winner was just 10 spots off the fastest sprint of the year when clocking 16.21. She will be back over four bends next week in preparation for the Oaks.
A year ago, Joni was the newly crowned Produce Stakes champion. The 2024 version was collected by Southfield Poppy with a 1-5 for sire Droopys Sydney. However, Poppy’s 28.29 was put in the shade by the 27.96 of local champ, Eze. Angie Kibble’s double Pall Mall finalist beat a competitive field, including the defending POW Southfield Duke, in 27.96. Eze’s previous two wins over course and distance were both timed at 27.95.
Until Saturday, the quickest 491m run of the year at Central Park belonged to Joni (28.91). But with the PGR Kent Derby due to start on October 5, it was kennelmate King Memphis – making his first appearance since his defeat in the English Derby Final – who blew away some of the cobwebs with a 28.86 run on Saturday.Defending POW and litter brother King Combs was KO’d in the same race.
There was also a ‘family angle’ at Harlow this week where Pips Rosie was the quickest four bend winner with a 26.55 (+10) A3 win on Friday morning. However, on slightly slower going on Friday night, Gothic Gwen beat an A2 field in 26.59 and inherited the POW crown from litter brother Gothic Icon.
When the fastest run of the week is recorded by a 19 month old pup, there aren’t too many decisions to be made. We are talking about Innfield Storm following a 28.51 puppy open race win at Newcastle on Thursday. The Tom Heilbron trained black, without a line in her Irish card, had clocked 30.05 on her first sighting of the Byker circuit.
Similarly, any sub-27.00 graded run at Sunderland is likely to be one the shortlist in this feature. In this case it is Dean Blackbird’s 26.94 A1 winner Port West Storm. A mention too for the Mick Fieldson trained Tease Me who continued her remarkable run at Sunderland with an impressive 27.20 win in A1 on Wednesday. That is six wins from seven races over course and distance, the only defeat being by a short head.
There were three semi finals of the Puppy Cup at Romford on Friday with Gingers Prince the quickest (23.89). But the selection was over the extra lap with Alright Gordon clocked a new FOY for the 750m with a 46.88 run. A mention too for Silverhill Adam who stretch his 100% UK record to 4:4 with a 34.84 for the 575m.
Returning to the subject of pups, Team Parker will have been delighted by the winning debut from 16 month old Droopys Flare. Only a little ‘un at 25.2kgs, Flare came from fifth place to win on her racing debut in 29.24. The A1 on the same card was won in 29.00 by Skywalker Amanda and the quickest run of the week was 28.97.
While at Crayford, it was 19 month old Imonlytwink who clocked the fastest 380m run of the week when winning by almost 11 lengths in 23.08. Only slightly bigger than Flare at 25.6kg, and also unraced in Ireland, the Ricky Holloway trained youngster has now won two of her first three races.
Deelish Lucy and Kilara Thyestes, first and second respectively in last week’s Kinsley A2 top heat were back in action again this week – with one major difference – they were sprinting. The bookies sided with D1 regular Aikins Gift (6/4f) but underestimated the versatility of Mark Lyons runner who got home in a photo finish. Fastest four bend winner of the week was Highview Roots with a 27.69 run on +40 going.
Tromora Supreme was just about ungradeable at Pelaw Grange earlier this year when she set the quickest run of the year, 25.40 – a clock not bettered since. The Lanarkshire based brindle returned to Durham on Sunday and looked as though she’d never been away with a comfortable A1 win in 25.83.
Nothing spectacular at Nottingham on Monday with ‘middling’ times recorded over four different distances. Although Links Weapon was back on the run that secured him the POW selection, Sarah Spillane’s runner extended his winning sequence to four, split between the two four-bend distances.
Valley battled with soaking Sunday as well as anyone but given the less than exact science of going allowances, we’ll turn our attention to earlier in the week and a near six length A1 win for Roanna Jack. The Leigh Williams trained black – who once held the stayer’s record, has now won four of his last six races.
