The Performance of the Week surely belongs to the brilliant Bellmore Sally after dominating the heats of the Ladbrokes TV Trophy. For those making time comparisons, the Golden Jacket winner did a faster sectional (33.56) than Bens Lad (33.64) as he completed a six-timer over the 540m course. However, Sally is still some way short of Savana Volcano’s 56.04 in last year’s Cesarewitch. A couple more stats, Antigua Sugar’s FOY for the 540m course is 33.36. While Lenson Doolin’s 23.23 on Saturday was six spots quicker over the 380m hurdle course than his own FOY for 2022 – and was only six spots slower than the fastest 380 on the flat!
Minnie Bullet, fourth in the Golden Jacket Final, went quickest in the first round of the Bet365 Hunt Cup at Oxford on Friday. It is the third fastest time over the 650m course and 11 spots outside the track record.
Meanwhile Bullet’s kennelmate Coonough Crow, who also contested the Jacket decider, was beaten, but qualified from the opening round of the ARC Grand Prix at Sunderland. Quickest heat winner was Darbys Delight though three of the heat times were only separated by a length. A decent run but still half a second down on the clocks that Coolavanny Aunty was producing a year ago. The Heilbron runner did leave plenty on the track though.
Team Heilbron were also on the mark back at Newcastle where by far the most impressive run of the week came from recent Northern Flat third Freedom Epic with a 28.58 run in A1. (And you could get 15-8 about him!).
Then on Sunday the Geordie landed the fastest time of the day at Towcester with Brinkleys Magic. The caibre of the run can be gauged by comparing it with two wins from Arkady. A week ago David Mullins runner landed the RPGTV Juvenile in 29.50. On Sunday he clocked 29.54.
The 28.31 Newcastle winner Magic recorded 29.23 over the Derby course.
Pelaw’s Starson Melody led and was beaten in his first Newcastle open. But he won for the third time in four graded races at his home track on Sunday with a 23.79 run.
The Steel City Puppy Derby reached the penultimate stage on Saturday and the Droopys Fidget win machine made it five wins from nine races with a different type of performance. She didn’t lead until the second bend but was strong and brave to clock the fastest time of the night.
Saturday night also produced some fabulously competitive racing at the Entain tracks. At Hove, there is little to choose between the two fastest middle distance open race winners on the card, Clona Urile (29.29-500m) and Gatling Gun (30.43-515m), both on -20 going. But the selection is the 29.43 (-30) winner Maree Champion, with a 2:2 record and only 20 months old.
But if you think that was tight, take a look at three A1 winners at Monmore on Saturday night, in the heats of the Joyce Lloyd Memorial. They were Hitthelids Mylo (28.46), Wicky Curly (28.46), and Skyfall Marty (28.45). Who votes for competitive A1 sweepstakes above unbalanced minor opens? Well done that grader!
One of the lowest profile Friday cards seen at Romford in a while. Coin toss between Antigua Socks (400-23.89) and Droopys Barry (575-35.28). The former got it with his first win for Nathan Hunt.
There was FOY clocks over all three distances at Perry Barr for the Judgement Night meeting. There isn’t much between the performances of brother and sister Signet Goofy (28.09-480m) and Sleek By Design (40.04-660m), or even the 15.97 of sprinter Gougane Jet, 17 spots outside his own track record. Looking for a tie breaker, we’ll go for Jet’s 20 career wins from 26 races.
29.92 was good enough for last week’s Nottingham selection. This week it is a 29.90 run with another balancing act between the minor open racers and the A1/A2 dogs. By the thinnest of margins, Perry Barr A2 winner Skirk Sid is the selection after clocking the fastest 500m run on Monday.
Ex-Nottingham trainer Peter Harnden has been splitting his runners between Henlow and Towcester in recent months. On Thursday, his June puppy Salacresthatcher clocked the fastest time of the week in Lower Stondon. (Do hope her kennel name is ‘Maggie’). A mention too for the week’s A1 winner Timmys Rover in 27.66.
Harlow’s defending champ Front Mali was challenged for his crown by Broadway World in a 415m open on Wednesday. Sean White’s 35 kilo black reversed form to get up by a head in 26.49 (-20), easily the fastest time of the night.
At Suffolk Downs, Roger York’s Camp Holly was only two spots off kennelmate Nassau’s fastest 548m run of the year with a 34.13 run. That is consecutive S1s for a bitch who was solid A3 over four bends.
Puppies dominated at Swindon where May big baby (near 37kg) Castell Delight clocked the fastest 470 of the week. But the selection has to be the British bred August puppy who landed the fourth fastest sprint of the year in an open on Thursday, Bonnies Bolt. It was only the second race of his career. Another interesting point is his breeding. One of the early pups by the lightweight Roxholme Nidge (29 kg) tips the scales at more than 35 kilos.
The weeks of slow going at Doncaster have disappeared with the A1 winners producing regular 29.90-30.10 clocks. So Trewmount Star’s 29.76 when beating kennelmate Moanteen Sonny on merit, looks a particularly decent run, considering the Jimmy Gaskin trained black is still only 22 months old.
Yarmouth’s seemingly unique habit of staging Monday/Saturday meetings with the same runners (obviously it can’t be done every week), paid dividends again on Saturday. As they went to traps, All About Gold had the week’s quickest run on his card, that 28.07 Monday night win. But the brindle came up short when taking on Knockduff Eske. Craig Morris’ runner, having just his second race since November, clocked the only sub28.00 run of the last seven days.
Without knowing the career history of Tintreach Bono, it must be safe to assume that it has been eventful. Why else would a two year and three month old hound be contesting only the sixth race of his career? Paul Donovan’s black clocked a flying 29.28 (-40) at Central Park on Sunday. But given he qualified for racing with a 28.80 trial at Youghal at 18 months old, the potential was always apparent.
With less than a fortnight until the start of the Bresbet Gymcrack, the Kinsley track staff are at the top of their game. (When was the last time you saw four graded winners break 28.00 at the same meeting?) Quickest of the lot was Hasty Sal with a 27.76 run, just six spots off Starcash Henry’s FOY.
