Hove’s Olympic and Curtis/Ballyregan Memorial double-header is always special and this year is no exception. Team Wallis were in full flow on Saturday having nursed Garfiney Blaze back to clock the fastest time in the six bender first round in his first race back after a five month break. His winning time of 44.49 was 39 spots off the fastest time of the year. Kennelmate Proper Heiress was 11 spots off the fastest 515 of the year in the Olympic. Despite his name, Heiress, is a 35.2 kilo male. He/she/they recorded 29.64.
Although it wasn’t flagged up as a track record in the race comments, Queen Georgia’s 39.17 (on -20 going) in the opening round of the Bet365 Challenge Cup was the fastest time ever recorded over course and distance being two spots inside the previous best recorded by the recently retired kennelmate Havana Top Note. Though forever in the shadow of brilliant litter sister Queen Joni, the Three Steps winner has a CV that includes fast wins over three trips at Sheffield (480, 500, 660) of 27.27, 28.79, 38.88, plus 37.55-630m Monmore and 28.86/42.58 over 500/712m Towcester.
The two fastest 480s of the week at Monmore were both recorded on Saturday night. The fact that one was 37 spots quicker than the other gives an insight into the quality of Vixons Filofax’s winning time. Brian Thompson’s black came home a dozen lengths clear when clocking 28.13 which was his fifth win in his last six Monmore outings. A mention too for the 28.50 winner, Blu Bert, who is only a January pup and was contesting just the second race of his career.
On her last visit to Perry Barr, Jet Stream Angel clocked 27.97 and was beaten a length. But there was no Druids Say Go in the opposition when she returned to collect wages on Saturday night. Kevin Hutton’s white and black went to traps at 1/6fav and won by an untroubled four lengths in 28.22 (-10). The class divide can be further demonstrated by the next four quickest times on the night: 28.62, 28.63 and 28.64 twice.
It was back in August 2023 that Kevinsfort Duke made his debut at in D3 at Central Park and was beaten by his fortuitously named kennelmate Low Point. Since then, Tony Collett’s wide running black has gone on to win top heat sprints and opens. But the pinnacle of his career (to date!) was a 16.05 track record breaking run in D1 on Monday. To be fair, it wasn’t entirely unexpected, despite his 5/1 SP. He had recorded a calculated 16.07 just two races previously. The previous record was held by Rossa Rise at 16.11, though the ‘same’ 265m record was held by Flashing Willow at 16.00.
Staying with the sprinter theme, it isn’t very often that they get a mention at Harlow but that changed following the D1 win of the unusually named, A Pet. Sally Clark’s brindle clocked 14.84 for the 238m on Monday, the fastest run in nearly four years. She has only been beaten twice in eight races over course and distance. The week’s best four bend race went to A2 winner Lemming Pride in 26.46 (+10).
Staying in Essex, Yahoo Megan (23.83) and Newinn Cloud (35.48) were the fastest open winners over four and six bends at Romford on Friday. But having been briefly toppled from his perch by kennelmate He Dee One a week earlier, Paul Young’s Bombay Jupiter grabbed back the yellow jersey with a 13.45 run. That’s five wins in his last six opens. A mention too for Puppy Cup finalist Gingers Prince (23.85) in his last race as a pup having won four of his eight outings at London Road.
By his standards, Romeo Command’s 29.87 winning time in the PGR Eclipse Final at Nottingham was nothing out of the ordinary. He did 29.23 over the same course and distance some 18 months ago. But he is the epitome of a top class durable hound who has spent his entire career at the very top level. He is the sort of dog who American breeders would use at stud. That is 34 wins and 10 seconds in 51 races. It was a decent couple of days for his sire too – given events at Shelbourne Park.
Some comparatively modest times at Yarmouth this week though to be fair to the fastest 462m winner, Explosive Queen, she wasn’t running over her optimal distance when clocking 27.99 on -20 going. The white and black made her debut for Craig Morris in a six bend maiden at Romford and won before finding Monmore’s 684 metres just a bit beyond her “EP,Rls-Mid,Ld3-5”. But she has progressed since then and will possibly be targeting one of the forthcoming 659m opens.
There were 28.62, 28.65, and 28.67 winners at Newcastle on Thursday with Popper Flenky the quickest of the trio for George Stark. But we can’t abandon Paul Rutherford’s fabulously game Wraysbury Katie who despite being “Mid,Bmp1,Crd4,LdRnIn” and clocking an understandably slower 28.87 remains unbeaten in her last three outings at the track.
At neighbours Sunderland, the quickest run of the week was the 27.30 run from Yvonne Bell’s Shinjim Magic. The 29.09 Tralee winner has been to traps on 11 occasions to date for four wins.
Pelaw’s fastest hound this year, Tromora Supreme (25.40) returned to the track on Sunday, and was made the even money favourite for the most competitive A1 in the North East this week. The opposition included the similarly prefixed Tromora Meg who had a 25.51 on her card. She now also has 25.45 winning form having led at the first and got home by a comfortable three lengths.
Prior to Thursday night there were three greyhounds sharing a FOY for Swindon’s 470m of 27.93 with just the defending POW Southfield Duke a spot back with a 27.94. He is now joined by Frank Bryce’s Baggios Coyote. Unraced in Ireland, and with only eight races on his UK card, the 30 kilo black was completing an A2-A2-A1-O/R four timer.
Kinsley are still able to put on a cracking A1 built around seven or eight elite runners and this week’s was staged on Friday night. The defending POW Kilara Thyestes (27.53 best) was in the line-up along with the dog backed to beat him Aikins Gift and Deelish Lucy (27.54). But the layers went for the prolific Ballymac Alyssa (10/11f) – who has been plying her trade from the handicap scratch runner. It proved excellent judgement with Bev Heaton’s blue coming off the pace to win in an impressive 27.60. Will the grader risk running her off levels for a second week?
We stay in Yorkshire for the week’s youngest selection, at Doncaster. On Saturday night, Kirsty Grayson’s 17 month old Look Smart was never headed when beating a B1 field in 27.71 for the 450m trip. It was the seventh race of his career with every one of them in similar grade and it was the quickest of his three wins. That is some going for a dog who didn’t make his debut until October 22.
While at Sheffield, the only slightly younger King Jackson backed up his Puppy Derby form with a 28.82 run for Sheffield’s 500m. The real merit of the run only becomes obvious when viewed against the 28.85 and 28.93 runs recorded by the prolific Acomb brother and sister Felix and Irene. All three will be heading back to Owlerton next Sunday for the opening round of the BGBF British Bred Derby.
Ballymac Lucia, who finished one place in front of Jackson in last week’s final was back at Towcester on Sunday and produced a flying 29.06 run. It was a hard call, given her age, to dismiss her in favour of the adult, The Other Boss. But the time margin, 26 spots, just about edges it to the Weatherall runner following a bloodless 28.80 ‘solo’. That run ‘on the bunny’ should have done great things for confidence going forward.
From the young ‘uns to the oldest on the chart. While Crayford may have staged a variety of opens over mixed distances on Sunday night, we are looking back to Friday’s graded card and an exceptional 23.02 over the standard distance for Phoenix Puma. He really is on fire at the fag end of his career for Darren Whitton. The five length A1 win, following an A2 success was arguably the best of a 57 race career. He joined veteran company back in the summer.
There was no racing at Valley in the last week due to the racing circuit being washed out by floods.
