The feature race of the week was the £10K ARC Classic at Sunderland with a 26.76 win for Move Over Cha. We also need to mention the 15.59 win by locally bred Witton Survivor, the fastest sprint in five years. But the selection was the 17 month old pup contesting Links Maverick who was actually three quarters of a length quicker than the big race winner. That was only the third race in the career of the half brother of Havana Class.

Talking of outstanding pups, anyone who read Patrick Janssens’ recent appraisal of the potential of Romeo Command might have been following Saturday’s Monmore opens with great interest. He didn’t disappoint, 27.82 for the 22 month old, the fastest run since Rising Brandy’s similar time four and a half years ago.

And it was Command’s kennelmate who was the easiest selection of the week. Coolavanny Shado’s 29.30 (+20) run in the opening round of the PGR Eclipse was the fastest over course and distance in 2022. By way of comparison, quickest in 2021 was Signet Ace’s 29.19 (+40).

Hove’s best race of the week was a ‘ladies only’ event featuring the reigning track’s Bitch of the Month Betsys Bullet and Brighton Belle winner Whats Up Eva (5-6f). Both were overshadowed by the youngster who is no respecter of reputations My Girl Bella with her fourth win in her last five outings. A flying time too – 29.55 (-10).

Bella’s sister Mia was the Towcester selection last week after clocking 29.55 in the Puppy Oaks heats. Sadly she wasn’t able to repeat the feat on Sunday with Ballymac Mags coming out on top. Although we are running with Sovereign Stakes winner Ballymac Slapup for clocking the fifth fastest sprint of the year, 15.58, Mark Wallis’ Billis Tudor deserves a mention in despatches for a 29.11 run in A1.

Sheffield was running fast on Tuesday though that has little to do with separating a string of very good performances. British bred March ’21 pups Keefil Danny (27.41-480) and Acomb Alfie (28.65-500m) are in the mix. There was a 28.55 PB for Maximum Security while Flying Ada was just four spots off Coolavanny Aunty’s fastest 660 of the year. On balance, it’s just Phil Milner’s Keefil Danny on the basis that it was only the third race of his career, and he showed great tenacity to force his way to the front. Besides, given his breeding, it is virtually impossible that 480 is his ideal trip.

Twenty four hours later, last week’s Doncaster POW Afton Pixie was made the 5-6f to land her semi final of the BGBF Leger at Doncaster. It wasn’t to be as Worsboro Kingman (20-1) led home a £715 tricast in 43.31 (-60).

On the same night, Private News won the fastest 415m open at Harlow. A cracking run for an 18 year old in just her fifth race.

Friday night featured opens at Romford and Oxford and both are hard to call but for different reasons. At Oxford, the fastest winners in the Gain sponsored Gold Cup and Maiden Vase both clocked 27.02. Barley Panther was completing a four-timer for Matt Dartnall, but you would have to say that Swift Iconic’s Gold Cup semi win was against a superior field.

At Romford, there was two/four/six bend dilemma. Representing the sprinters was Getoutamyway with a 13.26 run. Over 400 metre runners was Droopys Good with a 23.73 win and over 575m was Swift Mellow with a 34.83 run. We’ve gone with the latter for a couple of reasons. Not only is Paul Burr’s runner still a pup, but he has three wins and a second in his last four outings and was overlooked when going within four spots of Warzone Tom’s track record in the Champion Stakes Consolation.

Newcastle was no simpler to unravel with two A1s both won in 28.69. Bruno Bruno won his first ever top heat. It was a third A1 win in her last four for Abigails Jen who had Juvenile Classic runner-up Anynamewilldo in second place.

But all were a comparative breeze compared to Crayford where four competitions were at the semi final stage, and three were dominated by Diane Henry trained runners: Adeles Duke in the Rose Bowl, Savana Ruinart was quickest in the Gold Collar and Savana Volcano in the Cesarewitch. (The fourth was Barry O’Sullivan’s Bobbing Gnavatar in the Grand National). Call it sentiment or not, but it has to be Savana Volcano, almost as old as her owner, and brought back in peak condition to reach the decider. That takes some doing with marathon hounds.

Not content on doing it in open class, the Savanas were strutting their stuff in graded company too. At Henlow, last week’s Henlow POW Tyemekangaroodown, going for an A1 four timer and was made a 1-2f to do so. But he found one a short head too good in kennelmate and 6-1 shot Savana Camino who had been beaten in his three previous races by the 27.28 winner.

There might not be big crowds to view the power struggle for supremacy at Suffolk Downs, but that takes nothing away for the competition. Thursday’s A1 featured a string of previous Performer of the Week winners inlcuing Antigua Littlun, Sharkys Jezabelle, Vilamoura Jet and the defending champ, Newtown Pongo. The big name in the line up though was the prolific Olivetree Deano and sure enough, Paul Rea’s black regained his crown with his ninth A1 win over course and distance.

For Newtown Pongo read Hollyhill Magic and for Olivetree Deano read Errill Can. The former Newcastle runner reversed last week’s Pelaw Grange top heat form when clocking the fourth fastest 435m run of the year.

Ex-Sunderland A1 winner Ridgemount Cat made a successful debut at Perry Barr on Thursday clocking the quickest run of the week in A2, 28.56.

Unlike some others, Yarmouth didn’t cancel any meetings this week though the changeable weather played havoc with winning times. Monday’s 462 times were all rated +10. Wednesday’s were between -30 and -40, Saturday’s were -10 or -20. Net result, Swift Raisin’s 27.97 (-20) is enough to keep his crown for another week.

No such issues at the country’s other 462m venue Kinsley where Glenvale Gav took a week off to give the others a chance. Runner-up De Yonker (6-4f) was expected to step up to the plate, but it was Kilaharry Maisie, who started out in A7, who landed her first A2 contest.

On Sunday night Letterbox Master was made a 1-2 chance to match Swift Raisin by holding onto his title for another week. He duly won in 42.12 for Swindon’s 682m. Problem was, Robert Short’s Castell Mill had just gone seven spots quicker in another open.

The week concluded with the fourth win in his last seven outings – six times in the frame – for Alfie Herbert’s Central Park regular Coonough Bridge.