Two fabulous competitions got underway at the weekend and the biggest was the opening round of the Stadium Bookmakers Pall Mall at Oxford. Not so much a selection as a ‘gimme’ then for the new 450m track record holder Links Maverick. That’s 13 wins in 16 races for the Northern Puppy Derby winner.
On Sunday, a reminder of the perverse twists of greyhound fate when New Destiny produced a flying 28.86 run in the opening round of the Juvenile Classic at Towcester, while Maree Champion, who had beaten her in a match-race last time out was eliminated from the event after a trouble littered heat. Two further points, Destiny’s winning time was three spots faster than last weekend’s Derby winner, and with the Oxford selection, a fabulous double for their increasingly impressive dad, Grangeview Ten.
There would be a very good case for Drombeg Magic to get the Nottingham POW vote after clocking the fastest 480 run in Monday’s opens. But that would mean ignoring Lynn Cook’s five year old Churchill Holly who clocked 28.71 on the same card. Incredibly, it was only the 60th outing of her career, of which she has won 27 (45%). Yes – this is the same lady that reached the 2020 Derby semi finals.
On a similar theme, there would be claims for Footfield George (29.97) or even puppy Ballymac Loreen following a 27.85 win over Doncaster’s 450 trip. Instead, we’re going back to Sue Watson’s old favourite Kilara Bugle for a 30.28 (-10) A2 win. Now six years and three months old, that was career outing 152.
Sheffield staged sprint and stayers opens on Tuesday, but the outstanding performance came in an open class A1 event won by puppy Inca Gerry who led home Maximum Security and Stevie Knows in 28.95. That’s five wins and two seconds in his last seven for the Phil Barlow trained hound.
Barnfield Charm is not only the fastest hound currently on the Harlow strength, she is also the most consistent. Her 26.46 open race win on Wednesday completed a four timer and on calculated times, all are within 10 spots of each other. A special mention too for Swift Fascinate on reaching 200 career performances on Sunday.
Michelle Brown’s home bred Bodell Freddie clocked 25.07 and 25.16 in his first two qualifiers at Suffolk Downs. That was last November. At the end of June he landed his first A2 in 24.11 and then on Thursday, his first open in 23.78 (-10).
Norfolk neighbours Yarmouth have confirmed that the XL Windows East Anglian Challenge will kick off on Saturday August 12. Over the weekend locally trained Swift Loves chipped half a length off Alberts Legacy’s FOY for the standard with a 27.52 run. Just another 35 spots to the track record jointly held by her dad! Loves is one of four different member of her litter to have featured in Performance Of The Week – alongside Old Fort Batterbee, Ranches King and Slider McCoy.
Back in March, Ballymac Mags set a new Swindon 682m clock of 41.18. On Thursday, she came up against the classy Lively Lauren and had no answer to Matt Dartnall’s Brighton Belle runner-up (1-2f) who came home four and a half clear in 41.76.
The Angel Of The North closes today and gets underway on Thursday at Newcastle. There are a string of local females who look more than capable of holding their own and none more so than Witton Venus who could barely have been more impressive in a 28.56 trialstake win on Thursday night. It was her sixth win in her last nine outings.
Ex-Newcastle scratch runner and six bend minor open racer Audere produced the most impressive A1 win at Sunderland last week. After leading at the first bend it was always a case of ‘how far’? The answer was almost 10 lengths in 27.22.
Completing the North East triangle is Pelaw where Darren Little sent out the only two sub-26.00 runners this week. Ever So Best was quicker than kennelmate Knockalton Pip by just four spots.
Hove’ Sussex Cup, Regency and Springbok all close today, ready for a start next Saturday. There were FOY performances over all three trips at the weekend with Patterdale Zorro clocking the fastest 500mH run (30.09), Havana Bale Out quickest over the 515m course (29.81) and Baggios Emoski quickest over the 695m (41.89). How do they stack up? It is hard to compare, though on the basis that Zorro has the quickest race win ever over course and distance, and the fact that he didn’t have his first trial over jumps until June 12, we’ve chosen Gemma Davidson’s former Doncaster sprinter.
With a gap between comps at Romford, we are normally left with a weekly conundrum of comparing the relative values of the best 400 and 575 open race wins. This week they would be represented by Drumcrow Cody (23.84) and Kilara Coco (34.98). So instead we have decided to acknowledge the first graded runner to hit double digit wins in 2023 and that hound is Maxine Loche’s Cochise Peak whose tenth success coincided with the completion of an A5-A4-A3-A2 four-timer.
Nor was there much to choose between winners over five distances at Crayford on Saturday morning. On balance, we’ve edged to Savana Robyn who followed up a 34.08 win over the 540 with a 45.78 (+30) win over the 714m course. That’s five wins and four seconds in her 11 races to date.
As for Monmore, how does a 28.23 for the 480 rate against a 38.21 for the 630 metres? Neither are likely to win a Gold Cup or Summer Stayers Classic which both start on August 12. In terms of FOY, the Carol Weatherall trained Lemming Candy was 36 spots away from it, while Kirsty Grayson’s Flying Ada was 47 spots short. Admittedly not the most imaginative method of selection!
Perry Barr only got through three races on Saturday night but it was still long enough for the impressive Leighas Dream to make her mark in 28.39. That is four out of her last five for Barry Denby’s strong finishing wide.
There was a time when trainers would hang back after a track had been re-laid to see how it ran. Those days are gone. Punters reckoned Dave Lee’s Laughil Jess would burn up Central Park on her first visit to the track. The 1-2f didn’t disappoint with the fastest performance to date over the 491m, 29.41. That is six wins in her last seven races, on three different tracks.
The week ended with two graded champions defending their POW titles in top heat. At Henlow (Salacres Blake) and at Kinsley (Ballymac Wynett). Both were turned over. At Henlow, Richard Devenish’s Jogon Blue bounced back from three expensive defeats – the last time by Salacres Blake – for a seven and a half length reversal of form.
While in Yorkshire, Bev Heaton’s precious pup Wynett (9-4f) was a couple of lengths adrift of kennelmate and Gymcrack semi finalist Ballymac Frisby (3-1).
