What a weekend for the KSS Syndicate set-up on Friday. The trainer was at Romford on Friday to see Warzone Tom take half a length off Sparta Master’s near three year old 575 track record. While her kennel lad was at Oxford watching Frompostopillar setting a new best for the Oxford 450, an improvement of 11 spots on his previous best run.
Onto Sunday afternoon and Havana Lover went half a length inside Bockos Brandy’s Towcester 712m record in the Hunt Cup semis. A few hours later kennelmate Havana Bale Out clocked the fastest time in the opening round of the PGR Kent Derby. Go Liz!
The easiest update of the week came from Perry Barr where Slick Sakina continues to dominate the PGR Oaks. Having repeat winners is a ‘copy and paste’ exercise excluding the winning time. In Sakina’s case, the ’28.17’ had to be replaced by ’28.18’.
Saturday’s Bresbet Steel City Cup Final at Sheffield saw a long overdue Cat One win for Signet Goofy, but the POW is going to Crystal Cardi whose 27.50 was just a spot short of Skywalker Forte’s FOY.
Burgess Hannah finished two places behind Warzone Tom (3rd & 5th) in the Golden Jacket Final earlier this year. Tony Gifkins bitch reminded Crayford racegoers of her class with an impressive 714m open win on Saturday morning.
At Nottingham some nice steady progress from the local pup Headford Chief who qualified into A3 and landed his first puppy open for Paula Timmins on Monday.
Harlow was a tough call on Wednesday with Black Eyed Razl clocking the fastest sprint of the year (14.90) and Huntsman doing something similar over the four bends. On balance we’ll edge it to Darren Whitton’s four-bender on the basis that the distance is more competitive and the fact that he beat Razl two races ago over the sprint.
Sunderland was running quite fast earlier in the day, nevertheless Witton Clem’s 27.20 (+30) was still clocked when seeing off an A1 field.
While Antigua Bigun’s Champion Stakes semi final win was overshadowed by Warzone Tom, kennelmate and litter brother Antigua Littlun had seen off Suffolk Downs’ top A1 earlier in the day. At sister track Henlow, the quickest run of the week came from A2 winner Some Pepperoni. That’s three wins and a second in her last four outings.
The Other Lottie is from the ‘when she gets a clear run she will do a time’ camp. The half sister to the Irish Derby winner finally did, on Wednesday night at Yarmouth. Still a tough call to put her just ahead of Feb’21 puppy Miss Clausey with a 27.87 run.
It was a similar story for Hove’s Greedy Punter who had been beaten in his previous 14 races, open and graded, before seeing off an A3 field in the fastest time of the week, 29.52. Pelaw grader Athlacca Ace finally landed his first A1 after 10 attempts and 15 months of going up and down the grades. He has won four of his last 13 attempts, but they’ve been returned at 6-1 (twice), 8-1 and 9-1.
Sean Parker had three runners in a Doncaster A1 on Saturday which went to Debbie Calvert’s My Mate Colin in 30.19. But he had four in another A1 16 minutes later and won that one with Lightfoot Tereza in 30.08 (-30).
Monmore’s quickest run of the week came in A3 with a 28.55 run by the 25 kilo Tommys Poppy. A special mention too for 18 month old Vixons Falcon with a 28.64 win on Saturday.
There were a few former Newcastle Performers of the Week in the Newcastle A1 on Wednesday: Hardy Rebel, Wraysbury Diva and the defending Skywalker Bonnie. Add to those, Ballymac Tido in a suitably quick, 28.57. Monadreen Sky retained his Kinsley title after losing it for a week to Ballytadgh Best. She was back in third in what turned out to be a grader’s dream: ½, sh, hd, ½, 2¾.
With his litter brother Ace enjoying the benefits of a stud career in Ireland, Signet Mafia reminded his trainer that he isn’t quite ready to be pensioned off just yet with a 15.26 (-10) run for the Swindon sprint, just one spot outside Elite Dan’s track record.
