BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

One week on and another fastest performance in the toughest of all arenas, the English Derby, from the remarkable Ballinabola Ed. Last week he recorded 29.07 on -10 going. This week he recorded 29.12 on -10 going. Can’t work out whether it’s the terrible track conditions that caused the wild form swings or maybe the timer is faulty!

Last week’s Romford selection Baby Bullet was on the mark again this week in the semi finals of the Coral Coronation Cup. But despite her improving seven spots on last week’s run, she was still 20 spots adrift of Mark Wallis’ latest 575 specialist Duggee Dodo whose Romford record reads 7 races, 4 wins, 1 x 2nd and 2 x 3rds.

The Wallis kennel were also in great form at Monmore with an impressive four-timer on Saturday. Pick of the bunch has to be Bombardier with a 38.09 run on going rated -15. That is six wins and a short head second in seven Wolverhampton races.

It was great to see Brookside Richie reminding Geordie punters what a machine he is with an impressive 28.44 (-20) run at Newcastle on Tuesday. Or put another way, Jill Sutherland might just be reminding everyone that her British bred pup Witton Razl was only nine spots slower (normal going) on debut three runs ago. She had traffic problems to overcome to take the BGBF British Bred Maiden Derby Final, but showed she has as much determination as she has speed.

Back at Razl’s home track, it has been another flying female who has been attracting the plaudits. She Never Stops only tips the weighing needle slightly past the 25 kilo mark and has only had five races in eight months but she has won two of them, both in A1, and ran Mucho Macho Jack to half a length.

At Sheffield, Catunda Roman went to traps for the last time as a puppy produced the run of the week at Sheffield on Tuesday. He did the fastest sectional too at 4.27. More to come!

The Nottingham form was unusually complicated to follow this week with little standing out from the open races. In fact, only one winner broke 30.00 for the standard distance this week – and that was in A3 – and on +70 going, Scaragh Hill.

The opposite is true at Doncaster where the opens have been decent quality and competitive. There were worthy performances over all four distances, but the 483 is the most competitive and Debbie Calvert’s serial winner Go Go Wink just edges out a very decent run from kennel mate Longrange Dick over six bends.

Crayford’s fastest 380 this week was Moaning Shakira’s 23.27 on +20 going. Although slightly slower, Milton Rio’s 23.38 (N) was recorded in open class company. He has gone quicker. A month ago Heather Dimmock’s Guys And Dolls runner-up clocked 23.16 when finishing second!

Most weeks, a sub 26.30 run for Harlow’s 415m would see you in the shake-up for acknowledgement. On Wednesday, Susie Jezabelle did 26.29, Luna Jezabelle did 26.25, but Bockos Boss trumped both with a 26.22 run.

In terms of times, A3 winner Pennys Servius clocked the quickest time of the week at Perry Barr. But ‘the’ race of the week was the Saturday afternoon A1 which featured the likes of Tasty Treat and Affane News, but was won by Connor Smith’s Oaks semi finalist Billis Nipper.

The Yarmouth POW was always going to be decided by who won the A1* race on Wednesday where Paul Burr (3) and John Mullins (2) provided five of the six runners, Andrew Wilson’s Drumdoit Lucy completed the field. It proved a cracking contest with Burr’s Swift Raisin beating Mullins’ Deadly Tornado on a head dip.

Hove staged six A1s of which the stand-out turned out to be then Alma Keppie trained Quickdraw with a 29.61 (-10) win. That represents 93 spots of progress since his first sighter of the track last November.

We are also looking past the fastest winner of the week at Suffolk Downs. That honour went to Breakfast Club with a 23.90 (-10) win in A2. Olivetree Deano was 45 spots outside his own track record when winning the A1 on the same card. But the normal front runner had to dig deep to come through his field and complete a 294-1 five timer.

At sister track Henlow, Aayamza Earl attempted to build on last week’s 27.65 win but was turned over by Liffeyside Blake in the faster of the week’s two A1s. While Indian Black’s reign also only lasted a week at Pelaw. He was turned over by Inniskeel Josie who remains unbeaten in her three races to date.

After three A2 wins in a row, Gortroe Rainbow was rested for this week’s Kinsley feature event. Whoever won it, was going to claim her crown. Appropriately then, it turned out to be the three time runner-up Glendale Gav who romped up by nine lengths.

Returning to the subject of going allowances, three weeks ago Emers Romeo clocked the fastest 480 of the year to date at Central Park, 28.80 on normal going, off a 3.18 sectional. On Sunday night he did a 3.06 split was clear until the last bend but was eventually beaten over three lengths. Winner Warzone Tom clocked 28.95 on going rated .20 slow. For him it probably was. For Emers Romeo it was probably closer to .40 slow.

It is roughly 50 weeks since Ballymac Conti produced his PB for the Swindon standard, and Angie Kibble’s near 39 kilo black was still 15 spots short of it on Sunday night. To be fair, the track was running .10 slow and he was still 224 spots (28 lengths) faster than the winner of the first race.