Performance of the Week returns after a break of a week due to the cancellation of fixtures last weekend.
There was no doubting the major meeting of the last seven days. It was Perry Barr’s Thursday card where Havana Lover produced an outstanding run for the 710 metres. Her 43.02 (-20) was 23 spots quicker than the next quickest heat and the fastest of year. Space Jet’s track record is 42.59 (N).
On the same night, Hove held opens over three different distances. It came to a Cahill kennelmate toss-up between 515 winner Sporting Chile (30.21) and 500m winner, Barnfield Rising. In the end, we edged it to the 29.18 (-40) Youghal winner.
Friday night featured opens from Oxford and Romford. With only a handful of races over six bends, it is hard to assess Kid Haaland’s 40.13 run. It is indisputable though that nothing has covered the distance quicker that the former Carol Weatherall runner, not handled by Chris Hamblin.
The Romford selection is a bit more controversial. There were some fabulous runs in the Puppy Cup and none quicker than Romeo Hotshot. (Half the winners were British bred with doubles for King Elvis and King Sheeran). But how can we overlook a 34.83 run over 575 from Sussex Cup winner Ninja Kerry, four spots quicker than Coolavanny Aunty’s previous FOY?
On Wednesday at Yarmouth Coolavanny Shadow clocked the fastest run since Antigua Storm’s 2021 East Anglian Derby semi final run, 27.24 (+40). A special note too for home bred D1 grader Quagos Peggy who equalled litter brother Quago Jack’s FOY with a 16.17 run. The pair are 15 spots off the track record held by their dad!
One of the youngest Puppy Classic finalists Bellmore Cricket returned to minor open company of Monday at Nottingham and made it five wins from seven outings. Litter sister Bellmore Lola landed an A2 on the same card. One night later, Distant Brian, a litter brother to Puppy Classic winner Distant Podge went faster than all the opens at Sheffield when landing an A2 in 28.89.
Track record holder Saffrons Dash returned to Suffolk Downs on Tuesday following a failed attempt at the East Anglian Derby. It didn’t go well with a third place behind Glenvale Tony. Keith Robins versatile white and blue has open race winning form over 550m but also boasts a calculated 27.10 for Henlow’s 460 metres. Meanwhile back at Henlow, arguably the top two middle distance hounds landed their respective A1s. Savana Raven made it four wins in his last five with a 27.51. While the reigning POW Les of Ryl returned to clock 27.45. Who is the best? What about The Grafter? Of course there is one way to find out!
She wasn’t quite as quick as Tommy Blue (A2 – 29.79), but we can’t take the title away from Wraysbury Babe in the week’s only Doncaster A1. That’s four in a row for Jimmy Gaskin’s ex-Newcastle S2 winner.
Last week’s Harlow performer of the week clocked 26.77 for Harlow’s 415m. On Wednesday, five winners clocked between 25.73-25.78. The quickest was Pete Witchell’s Mohican Morgana.
Meanwhile at Crayford, British bred Deanridge Lambo, who looked a regular S2/S3 grader in his first staying races continues to improve and landed an impressive four day double, S2/33.74 and O/R/34.02. On the subject of Brits, March pup Acomb Alfie clocked the fastest time by a ’21 whelp to date, 27.75.
There were no A1s at Newcastle this week but a selection of half a dozen A1 events, the quickest of which was won on Saturday afternoon was Angela Harrison’s Coolemore Cavani in 28.50. As a puppy, Baron De Feypo twice ran Skywalker Stan to photo finishes in Sunderland opens. Her career has been far from straightforward but she showed a sign of the old sparkle with a very decent 27.06 (+40) win this week.
On Saturday night there were several worthy performances at Monmore with Romeo McQueen clocking the fastest four bend run. But on balance, the 15.18, just six spots off Crossfield Dusty’s FOY just edges it for Eric Cantillon’s Newtown Sydney.
Aughaboy Evie was an 18-1 shot when she saw off the Pelaw Grange A1 a fortnight ago. On Sunday afternoon she was a mere 7-1 shot when she found five spots when winning this week’s top heat.
Also on Sunday were penultimate stages of three Category One competitions. First up at Towcester was the Bet365 Empress Stakes where Frank Gray’s Makeit For Waz became the fastest bitch over the Derby course with a 29.14 run, two spots quicker than the Irish pair Unlock Unlock and Wide Open.
Regular readers presumably copped on to Ricky Holloway’s prediction on Monday that Lenson Doolin was likely to find a chunk of time and beat kennelmate Ritzy Spirit in the semi finals of the ARC Champion Hurdle. Ricky was on the money with Doolin skating up at a tempting 4-5.
Last but certainly not least, a special tribute to the brilliant Magical Bale/Forest Natalee litter. They will occupy five of the six places in next week’s Produce Stakes Final, a feat that, according to our records, has never been achieved previously. Here have been numerous threes and at least one ‘four’. The quintet will be headed by the new 476m track record holder Signet Denver whose 27.69 was six spots quicker than the previous best which he shared with brother Signet Otis.
