At the conclusion of a Derby, you hope to have seen the best dog win. For some people that means the fastest dog in it. The quickest of the 63 winners was track record breaker, Priceless Jet who clocked 28.78, on going rated +10. Second quickest on the clock was Lautaro with the previous record, 28.84.
Both were brilliantly fast when they did everything right, and bear in mind, this wasn’t Jet’s ideal distance. Others showed their pace earlier in the competition but weren’t up to the rigours of six consecutive races.
Romeo Magico’s Derby winning run of 28.95 might only have been the third quickest of the entire competition. But these are races, not time trials. The fastest semi final winner had to show determination and trackcraft to go with pure speed to get past another of the outstanding hounds in the entire event, Kildare.
Some people may still not believe that Romeo Magico was the best dog in the competition. The result says otherwise.
Looking ahead, the next quality final on the agenda is the ARC Puppy Trophy at Sunderland where Arkady is expected to start a short priced favourite on Thursday. David Mullins’pup has won his last six including his semi final with an impressive, 26.78.
Meanwhile, just up the road at Brough Park (it still is for most of us), another September pup has discovered her form. Wraysbury Diva was only 15 months old when qualifying in A4 and took eight races to break her duck. Her more recent record is four wins and a second in her last five including an impressive 28.45 (calc) last time out. To complete the regional set, Errill Can made it four from his last seven with a 26.01 run at Pelaw.
Elsewhere, Winterfield Duke was comfortably the fastest hound on Monmore’s -10 going on Saturday when landing the 480m open in 28.51. But the time is irrelevant. It was a fabulous run from last-to-first, and there are many more wins in this lad.
Romford’s Friday night saw the unveiling of an exciting new runner for the Champers lads, Bubbly Dancer. It was as Epic Dancer that she made her debut in an unraced bitches stake at Newbridge back in March beating Antigua Sugar (a winner on the Derby card) by eight lengths. A 35.30 run for 575m is a great starting point for an exciting UK career.
Not for the first time in recent weeks, the Nottingham higher grades once again outshone the opens. This week’s star performer was Colin Wilton’s puppy Firebird Rex who was the only sub30.00 run when seeing off an A2 field.
That wasn’t an option at Sheffield with no Tuesday opens following a full open card last Sunday. No problem them, the 28.89 from Nigel Saunders’ Blacklabel Walt was more than adequate.
No opens for Central Park either and nothing on the clock between two 29.20 A1 winners, Droopys Supremo and Tony Collett’s Borna Rhythm. No major justification for choosing the latter other than a sympathy vote for a dog contesting just his second race after an injury lay-off when he was withdrawn lame from the Springbok semis.
Harlow wasn’t any easier, no stand-out performances. On balance, it had to be Rhythm’s kennelmate Jewel Of Madonna, not so much for a 38.54 but in being the one who finally brought Tinks Boy’s five race winning sequence to an end.
Two former Harlow old boys who won a stack of top grades between them are continuing to produce consistent performances just up the road at Suffolk Downs. Paper Straw and Quadrilateral landed A2s on the same card in 23.92 and 23.90 respectively. (Their best calculated Harlow times were identical, 26.11 – though Straw had a 25.96 on +15)
Sister track Henlow’s fastest 460 hound this year returned to the track on Saturday and saw off the fastest A1. A slower break meant he wasn’t able to challenge his 27.40 (-20) run.
At Hove, Lasair Breno was given a couple of beatings by Doorus Jet a month ago, but he has bounced back to win his last three, most recently a decent A1 in 29.78 on -20 going.
There were a string of former POW winners lined up in Saturday’s A1 at Perry Barr, notably the prolific Billis Nipper and Takemyhand. But a new name emerged in Lynnwood Assin whose switch from two bends has seen consecutive wins and a new PB of 28.41 (-10).
There would be a decent argument to suggest that Corrin Logan’s 23.40 open race win on Saturday at Crayford was more worthy than his kennelmate, Lakeview Star’s 23.21 (+10) win in A3. But we are going to give it to Dave Lee’s bitch puppy who has won her last two.
At the opposite end of the scale is the amazing pensioner Kilara Bugle. It is three years since Sue Watson’s brindle veteran became a POW for the first time. But he was there again on Saturday, A1 win in the fastest time of the week – race no. 114.
Sticking with a Yorkshire theme, locally bred lass Acomb Jenny began her racing career at Kinsley back in December 19. She has progressed a long way since her D3 debut but came back as ‘girl made good’ to land the Sunday 462m open in 27.61.
The week’s other outstanding 462m performance came at Yarmouth. Andrew Wilson’s Drumdoit Lucy went into last Monday’s A1 with best clocks of 27.76 and 27.72 on her card. Now make that 27.65.
We conclude on a good news story. Oaks finalist Droopys Samantha had been off the track for six months when going to boxes at Swindon on Sunday night. What a comeback beating kennelmate Coppice Brewer in a very decent 28.03.
Fine training Mr Hutton!
