Welcome to the Bellmore Sally column. Invincible during the Ladbrokes sponsored Golden Jacket and TV Trophy, she heads into her fourth Crayford Cat One final chasing a seven timer. If experience is anything to go by, she will produce her best run of the event in next Saturday’s Jay & Kay Coaches Kent St.Leger Final.
At Romford, the John Mullins trained Ballymac Slapup went within three spots of the sprint track record with a flying 13.20 run on Friday night. That is four in a row for the Sovereign Stakes winner and can be added to a CV showing sprint wins in: 16.14-285m Hove, 15.87-275m Perry Barr, 15.41-262m Swindon, 15.58-270m Towcester and 16.15-277m Yarmouth. His only blank is Nottingham (0:3) where he ran third in a National Sprint.
The Oxford Friday night card was much more tricky to negotiate. Last week’s POW Tenzin landed the A1 in 27.23, but was outclocked by another A1 winner Distant Piper (27.12), A3 winner Darbys Double (27.10) and the quickest of them all, A2 winner Roanna Hawk. After many coin tosses, we’ll edge it to Richard Yeates’ puppy who has three wins and a second in his last four races.
Former Oxford 650 record holder Lively Lauren clocked the fastest 480 of the year in the opening round of the Prime Greyhound Nutrition Three Steps To Victory. By comparison, the fastest time in last year’s first round was Nolas Beauty’s 27.25 track record.
Staying in Yorkshire, Doncaster staged their best A1 in a very long time on Sunday. It featured last week’s Perfomer of the Week, Trewmount Star, and the dog who looked set to take over the mantle, Footfield George following Wednesday’s 29.68 (-10) win. But both were shown a clean pair of heals by the brilliant but fragile Starcash Henry with a new FOY for the standard trip, 29.50.
Later the same day, Kinsley’s finest turned out in a very decent A1 which was won in 27.83 by Glenview Pat. But just minutes earlier, on identical going, Acomb Jasper – probably the slowest to come to hand from the impressive litter of six – produced the performance of his career to date when landing the A2 in 27.73.
Champion trainer Mark Wallis unleashed a new at Monmore on Saturday night as New Destiny landed her UK debut in 28.04 for the 480 metres. A couple of interesting things about her. Firstly, she is a half sister to recent Grand Prix winner Coonough Crow. Second, as an October whelp, she has four more months of puppy racing.
Given the varying quality of the winners on any given open race night at Hove, the first issue is often distinguishing the ‘500’ from the ‘515’ opens as times aren’t always the clue. On Thursday, the stand-out performance came from recent Brighton Belle third Whats Up Eva. In a decent minor open event that included last week’s POW, Make Noise, the Richard Rees trained black staked up in 30.28 (-20), one spot quicker than Betsys Bullet’s run in the Cat One decider. (Her PB is 29.91).
Only four hounds were quicker over Galway’s 550 yard course last year than Colin Wilton’s Sambar Seamus. On Monday night the black clocked the quickest run of the week over Nottingham’s 546.8 yards (500m) when recording 29.60. That’s three wins and four seconds in his seven races since crossing the water.
So far this year no hound has come close to breaching the Harlow 38.00 barrier for the 592m trip. Closest is Sharon Saberton’s Tinks Boy following a 38.14 run on Wednesday. Sister Tinks Girl won on the same night in 38.37. Of Tinks Boy’s five wins over the distance, three have been 38.14/38.15.
Craig Morris’ puppy Edwards continued the impressive start to his Yarmouth career when clocking the fastest 462 of the year to date, 27.63. Unraced in Ireland, it was his second win in five races and followed a 28.15 run.
Ex-Romford OR/A1 regular Glengar Daisy continues to produce week in/week out at Suffolk Downs. Although she was well beaten when Saffrons Dash broke the 388m track record, she had beaten him in their previous meeting and in both their last two meetings including the Thursday afternoon open.
Swindon’s open races have become really taken off in the last month or so. Last week, we highlighted how Velocity Drive had the temerity to take on and beat the Hutton pair Forest Icon and Twolengthtoogud. Well revenge was afoot on Thursday afternoon when the latter returned with the kennel’s honour at stake. There was also the issue of the track’s other outstanding local, Haverhill Lad. Hutton honour was duly restored in a new FOY with Haverhill Lad (5-4f) second. Guess the winning distance!
No Rival covered the Perry Barr 480 metres in 28.58 this week with Mineola Fortress just a spot slower. But with two graded difference between them, plus a going allowance to take into account, we’ve got to stick with Paul Meek’s runner.
Only one spot between the quickest pair at Pelaw Grange too and on identical going. To simplify matters, Curfew Flyer’s 25.77 was recorded in A1 top heat company.
It will be the last time that graders feature among the Towcester selections for a while and it is left to A2 winner Swift Stetson to sign off with the quickest win of the last seven days in A2. His last two wins at Nottingham were recorded in 30.17 (A3) and 30.14 (A2). His three Towcester wins, all in A2 have come in 30.00, 29.73 and 29.53.
Not much to shout about at Henlow this week with only one hound breaking 28.00 – Smithys Zkittlez with a 27.99 run. But only a length slower was locally bred October pup Wendil Star who ran away from an A6 field in 28.07. Brother Wendil Tiger won on the same card in 28.15.
Fabulous Silence took four races to open her account in A5 at Newcastle and three races later romped up in an A6! But Tom Edgar’s pup has really really kicked on in the last fortnight and completed a hat-trick when landing the quickest semi final of the BGBF British Bred Maiden Derby on Thursday.
At Sunderland, Definitive Force has been playing a game of ‘who blinks first’ with Racing Manager Joe Frelford. Back in March, Jill Sutherst’s runner romped up in D2 at 1-2f. Joe invited the white and black sprinter to back it up by putting him in another D2 where he started at 11-10f but was turned over by half a length. On Grand Prix Final night, Force (9-2) landed a supporting open in the fastest time of the year (15.68). But Joe wasn’t fazed and re-graded the dog back in D2. Force (5-4f) accepted the challenge and romped up in 15.75. You would think Joe would learn his lesson. Not so. Friday – 30/100f – 15.74. The clue is in the name Joe! Wanna try again?
Last but not least, a mention for Maree Smasher who clocked the fastest 642m run of the year at Central Park on Sunday. Only three hounds went quicker in 2022 than her 40.06. However, she is being swerved in favour of her kennelmate Queen Joni. Regular readers may recall the recent write-up with Rab McNair where he suggested the December pup looked destined to be something special. On Sunday she contested her second race, an A2, and romped up in 29.61. The 480 open was won by Arkady in 29.55.
