The big races are coming thick and fast and Friday’s big decider went to a young bitch contesting her second Cat One event in just her tenth UK race, Coonough Crow. The time was ‘okay’ but it was a battling performance showing great determination and bravery to come behind on a tough circuit. A special mention too for Links Maverick winning for the 12th time in 15 races. The Cat One performer in a Cat 3 final clocked 26.44, just three spots outside last week’s track record.
Team Wallis were also well represented at Oxford the following night where Minnie Bullet was the 11-4 second favourite in the Bet365 Hunt Cup. But she had no answer to ‘Liz power’ as Mrs McNair sent home the 1-2-3 with Havana Lover totally justifying her 11-8 SP with five and a half lengths to spare over King Ezra and Havana Top Note respectively. There was just one spot difference in winning times between the Oxford and Sunderland finals with Top Note’s brother Links Top Gun having finished third in the Sunderland final.
Also on Saturday, the penultimate stage of the ARC Laurels at Perry Barr where Lover’s paternal half brother Hawkfield Ozark landed the quickest semi final in 28.09. Since joining the Janssens range, Ozark has 13 races for 8 wins and 4 seconds
Ozark’s kennelmate Slick Saratoga was ante post favourite to land the Bresbet Gymcrack but only just survived the first round when qualifying in third place. He was defeated by Carl Jackson’s immaculately prepared Watchhall Sid. Hugely impressive at Oxford in the British Bred Derby, but a shadow of that hound at Newcastle, Sid soloed in 27.98, 27.82 and 27.66 before using all that experience to clock a new FOY, 27.53.
The Seasons Scaffolding Puppy Cup started out as a Cat 3 event, is now a Cat 2, and is beginning to emerge s one of the principle juvenile events in the Calendar. On Saturday, Hove’s (and the Cahill Kennel’s) top two youngsters Maree Champion and Droopys Clue went head to head, each boasting an unblemished card of three races/three wins. Something had to give but there was still only a length between them with Clue clocking a brilliant, 29.19 and Champion very unlucky in defeat. Just how closely matched are they? Well, within 0.4 kilos racing weight and they were born on the same day!
Monmore’s Saturday night card featured open races over three different distances with Droopys By Amile worthy of a claim with a 27.97 run for the 480. But it is hard to oppose Kim Billingham’s Asta Illusion for a career best 37.74 for the 630 metre trip which equals the fastest time of the year. Interestingly, the former Lee Field trained hound has only won eight times in a career of 49 outings, but his successes have been on three different tracks over five different distances.
Sunday’s major feature was the KAB Maiden Derby at Towcester which went to the Rees Kennel’s Drive On Lad in 29.26. But the day’s outstanding performance came in a tough Derby trialstake won by Distant Podge. Last August’s Puppy Classic winner was only contesting the 14th race of his career and won for the eighth time (plus three 2nds) when clocking the fastest time over the Derby course in five months.
Team Draper were also on the mark at Sheffield the previous evening. Although the track didn’t stage any opens this week, they raised their game with a string of A1s. The most impressive was Stevie Knows with a 28.73 run. That’s five A1 wins in his last seven attempts.
Last week Droopys Annalise (bet she’s got more ear tats than the rest of the litter) was mentioned for winning an A2 in a faster time than the Nottingham opens. She went one better this week by landing the quickest of the 500 metre opens in 29.65. A special mention too for Kevin Cobbold for a treble to add to last week’s double. Presumably he is declaring Colwick Park as a second income?
An unusual repeat appearance on the chart for Energize App at Suffolk Downs. Last week it was for setting a 716m track record, this week for winning the quickest 548m open. His previous run at the track also delivered a win, but that time over the 388m course! In fact he has won eight of his last ten at West Row.
Last week the plan was to give the Yarmouth sprints a mention following a flying run for Somersham Kenzie. But when he comes back a week later and knocks a length off that time, how do you ignore him? The 16.13 run was just 11 spots outside the track record; the fastest 462 was almost nine lengths outside the course best.
There is also a change of emphasis at Doncaster where the 450 runners are under the spotlight. Last year, Lightfoot Doak’s 27.51 was the seventh fastest time of the year. Following a lay-off, Sean Parker’s tricoloured bitch returned to the track on Sunday and clocked the quickest 450 of the year to date, 27.53.
Which naturally leads to a story about Henlow and Savana Raven. Last year he had the sixth fastest time for the 460m course with run of 27.43. But after three successive defeats as an A1 favourite he put matter right on Thursday . . . . in 27.43.
‘The Big Dog’ returned to Swindon on Thursday and showed them how he earned his reputation. The near 39 kilo Ballymac Conti returned from 27.15 open race success at Oxford to remind locals why he is Wiltshire’s no.1 with a 28.43 open race win. That’s four and a second from his last five on home soil.
Times don’t always tell a story and in the case of Harlow’s Essay John, they certainly don’t. A 26.58 win on Wednesday was the slowest of his last three runs, but he left a minimum of four lengths on the track when showing great determination to land a four-timer. Genuinely the track champion at present.
19 month old Pelaw pup Glenvale Bjorn also made it four-in-a-row on Sunday when seeing off an A2 field in 26.03. His overall record is pretty special too – five wins and three seconds from 10 races.
There were a string of decent performances at Crayford on Saturday morning but the highlight was another three-way battle between the best trio of 540m hurdlers in training. On the last occasion they met, Ritzy Spirit won with Borna Rhythm and Bobbing Gnavatar, fifth. But for the third time in four outings, Rhythm came out in front from Spirit with Gnavatar third. The winning time was the quickest over course and distance since 2021.
A fairly quiet week at Newcastle with no opens the weather playing a big part in winning times. Quickest of the lot was A2 winner Crooks Patsy with a 28.75 (-10) run in A2.
At Romford, David Mullins’ ex Newcastle A2 grader Flynns Porter – a litter brother to the abandoned Puppy Derby finalists Makeitkingkaiden and Makeit The Bear – was just three spots off the fastest 400 of the year on Friday night with a 23.67 run in a maiden open.
Central Park took the decision to cancel their Sunday racing – including opens – due to a waterlogged track. A tough decision but presumably the right one given the track was running -120 for the standard on Friday. The Wednesday card had no such issues with Mandeville Toto seeing off an A2 field in 29.55 (-20).
