How good a run was King Memphis’ performance to land the RPGTV English Puppy Derby Final at Towcester?
The big black clocked 28.82 on a freezing wet afternoon. His sectional was back five spots (4.08 from 4.03) and he was two lengths slower than his track record breaking run. The next quickest winner yesterday was March On Kit’s 29.31. A better guide might be Romeo Top Gun beating Signet Goofy a neck in 29.37. The latter is a good guide as one of the most consistent hounds in training. His calculated 29.40, followed three previous calculated runs of 29.09, 29.11 and 29.34. One further point though – at 480m metres, the Puppy Derby champ would be King Capaldi!
Was there ever any doubt as to who would be the Crayford top girl? 17 unbeaten races over course and distance for the brilliant Laughil Jess with the quickest of them (by 3 spots) in the Gold Collar Final
There is so much to suggest that this year’s George Curtis/Ballyregan Bob Memorial could be memorable. TV Trophy runner-up Ower Smasher stepped from her FOY 44.51 to clock 44.36 in a trialstake on Thursday. The main event kicks off on December 9.
Oxford’s Bet365 Challenge Cup starts and ends a day earlier over 90 less metres. Havana Lover, who has the fastest recording to date over course and distance (39.41) when landing the same sponsor’s Hunt Cup, was in action of Friday night when landing one of the five staying opens in 39.98. But it wasn’t the quickest! That honour goes to Chris Hamblin’s Ela Maestro making his six bend debut in 39.86.
The oldest line of form is Newinn Syd’s 29.25 in last week’s Eclipse semis at Nottingham. Only Romeo Command (29.12, 29.22) has gone quicker this year. The last five Eclipse finals have been won in 29.77, 29.41, 29.25, 29.35 and 29.62.
It was Tom Heilbron against Sheffield’s finest on Tuesday as the Geordie plundered the night’s best open with the former locally graded puppy Fearsome Enigma. The British Bred Maiden Derby winner got home by a short head from the game Maximum Security with defending POW Distant Tanya back in fifth.
On the subject of British breds, Romford Puppy Cup winner Romeo Crusade was back at London Road on Friday and clocked the quickest standard distance run of the week, 23.95 (-10).
Cheetara set a new FOY for Harlow’s 415 metres on Wednesday with a six length win in 25.95. But that isn’t enough to budge Crusade’s litter brother Romeo Cypher from his top slot, given the David Mullins trained British bred still has two full months as a pup.
The six bend BGBF Doncaster Leger dominated the headlines at Doncaster on Saturday night and was won on the nod by another Firmager bred youngster in Fabulous Dyna. But the outstanding run on the night came from the Scottish raider Greenwell Ange. John Flaherty’s blue covered the 661m in 41.33, more than ten lengths faster than the big race winner. What’s more Ange didn’t lead until the fifth bend and got home by nearly six lengths.
Staying in Yorkshire, two hounds broke 28.00 at Kinsley this week, and they were both pups. Strike It Josie, who loses puppy status on Friday, was quickest with a 27.93 in A5. But the nod goes to Bev Heaton’s Jan ’22 whelp Ballymac Alyssa who saw off half a field of previous ‘Performers’ to land the A2 in 27.99.
Glenmalure Flyer retained his belt at Valley, though this time it was over the sprint trip with a 16.45 run. Now while it was some way off the fastest sprint to date – the 16.23 by Freddo – he also won at the same meeting, but in a more modest, 16.85.
Similarly Dashing Dude holds onto his Swindon crown after another flawless performance on Thursday. That is six wins and a short head second in his seven UK races to date. He also has five of the seven fastest times over course and distance this year.
Two recent puppy performers of the week – Yahoo Megan and the defending Notesinurpocket met a good class 388m open at Suffolk Downs on Thursday. Victory went to the younger of the pair, Patrick Janssens’ 18 month old brindle who extended her winning sequence to five.
No Asbo Lenny to defend his Central Park title this week (has he outgraded himself?) so punters went for his runner-up Miami Patrol to do the biz. Didn’t happen, Coonough Boss won the quicker of the two A1s in 29.69.
We talked up (Amazing) Coppice Gracie last week though she found one too good in the Big Dog, Droopys Biggie. However, his 29.01 (-10) was firmly put into the shade by the returning Wraysbury Diva. Simply unable to put in a bad run, Paul Rutherford’s black produced comfortably the quickest Newcastle 480 run of the week, 28.84 (-20) with a 30% career strike rate.
Staying in the North East, Pelaw puppy Annadown Cuddles won for the fifth time in 11 races (and three 2nds) with the quickest run of the week, 26.01.
With nothing breaking 27.30 at Sunderland this week, we’ll switch to the sprinters and a dog who picked up the first of his many Performance of the Week selections a full two years ago, Mucho Macho Jack. The dog with a 26.83 on his card back in Sep ’21, Dean Blackbird’s runner has won the last four of his 70 races, most recently in a very respectable 15.86.
On the subject of top heat hounds, Brynhall Bocko made his followers sweat in a cracking A1 on Thursday. Gary Griffiths’ 28.79 Clonmel winner, who seldom goes to traps at big odds, took a commanding lead only to see it reduced to some black nose leather at the winning line by the tenacious Aero Squeak. Quickest run of the week, obvs!
There were only three sub-28.90 winners at Perry Barr this week and one of them has only just made the move from Wolverhampton. The slickest was Tip Top Maverick with a 28.80, but on +10 going in A4. Next quickest was On The Trail in 28.83 (-10) but in A3 company. So the selection is Kate Harrison’s veteran Ballymac Odie. It was race no.90 and win no.22 for the ex-Taberner trained A1 hound.
The slimmed down 41.8kg Untold Kwacha (that’s 92lb, though he has raced at 42.5kg) was in the shadow of kennelmate Untold Paanga, in the cancelled Henlow Maiden Gold Cup Final. Since then though, Carol Weatherall’s white monster has raced at Lower Stondon on six occasions and won the lot. His 33.07 on Sunday night was a new FOY for the 550m.
Times were unusually out of sync at Yarmouth this week, where the top heat winners invariable produce the best times. As a result, we’re opting for ‘form’ over ‘time’ with the selection of Miss Bossy following wins in A4-A1-A1-A1, the latter being in 28.10.
