The open race circus moves to Monmore this week with the Gold Cup and Summer Stayers Classic both due to get underway on Saturday (entries close 11am Wednesday). Final preparations took place on Saturday and none look better prepared than Team Draper.
October puppy Tylough White (a litter brother of the Irish open racer De Lahdedah) became the second fastest hound over the 480m course this year with a 27.92 run, while ‘Three Steps’ winner Distant Emma produced the quickest 630m run of the year, 37.68. Only Antigua Sugar (37.50) went quicker in 2022.
Coolavanny Shado started at 4-6f when finishing last behind Minnies Kharkiv the Pall Mall in the official trialstakes. He returned on Friday, was made a 2-7f and took three spots off Links Maverick’s track record. The 26.49 is 29 spots away from the old clock set by Up For Sam in 2010.
Swift Iconic, the winner of the 2022 Oxfordshire Gold Cup and almost certain to line up alongside Shado in the East Anglian Derby, made his four bend appearance in four months at Yarmouth on Saturday night. It couldn’t have gone any better with a box-to-beam 27.70 win.
Sticking with the 462m theme, Kinsley’s top graded event of the week was staged on Sunday night and duly resulted in the quickest run of the week. D1 regular Ballytadgh Best switched back to four bends to win the A2 in the fifth fastest time this year, 27.57. The respective track records are 26.95 Kinsley and 27.17 at Yarmouth BTW.
The Romford Friday night call was a tough call with three standard winners clocking 23.68/23.69 (twice), plus Whitings New Era’s 34.91 for six bends. After a bit of biro crunching, we’ve gone for the 20 month old Cunnigar Yousir on his UK debut.
There were fast times over all four distances at Nottingham on Monday: De Bumblebee (17.76-305m) One Day Tom (29.59-500m) and Darbys Delight (41.67-680m). Some quick runs too for the Puppy Classic hopefuls, notably a 29.72 for October pup Couldbeastar. The 480 fastest time was shared between Avongate Ross and Bellmore Cricket who both clocked 28.40. Using recent form as a tie-breaker, we’ve gone for Terry Munslow’s hat-trick winning Ross. A mention too for Headford Chief with a 29.36 (+70) A2 win later in the week, his first win in 10 months.
Easiest shout of the week? How about Acomb Irene with the fastest 500 of the year to date at Sheffield, 28.45. That’s five wins and a second from her last six outings and follows a 28.41 win at Perry Barr (480) for the brindle in the form of her life.
The following night, litter brother Acomb Alfie, unluckily overlooked at Doncaster last week in favour of another littermate, Acomb Mabel, returned to Stainforth and beat the highly rated Ballymac Levi by three lengths in 29.99, a run that only really registers when the -50 going is taken into account.
Lots of rainfall was always going to result in a slow track, but Suffolk Downs staged two A1s and two 388 opens on Thursday and the quickest of the lot of Kim Gooding’s Shockwave Polar with a 24.11 run. Expect more from this British bred pup whose Towcester A3 career is littered with plenty “led to nr line” form.
13 months ago, Bubbly Ranger ran Antigua Sugar to three quarters of a length in the heats of the Juvenile Classic. He was KO’d in the semi finals and his career has never really kicked on. When he went to Hove on Thursday, his last eight lines of form were defeats in S1/S2 at Romford. Unsurprisingly, he was a 7-1 shot but the near 36 kilo black rolled back the clock to record a FON 29.56 (-10). Talking of golden oldies, a special mention for five years old Candolim Oasis who saw off an A2 field in 29.58. Senior opportunities this Thursday?
Reminder to all trainers that Hove’s Thursday night opens: 285m, 500m, 500m (maiden) 500m (seniors) 500mH, 500mH (maiden), 515m (dogs/bitches), 695m (maiden), 740m – close at midday today (Monday).
Droopys Ambush’s POW reign at Swindon lasted just a week. The belt was returned to Goldies Perryman who held off the unlucky Pall Mall finalist Eze, whose slow start cost him once again. A mention too for Untold Yen with a 28.27 run but in easier company. Would be good to see him mixing it with Perryman and co.
No luck either for the defending Harlow champ Shinbone Jack who found himself contesting a decent A5 on Friday. But he never got the chance to strike a blow as kennelmate Measure Me made every post a winner clocking 26.48. Errill Buddy went a spot quicker on Sunday but in slightly easier company.
Coppice Diva clocked the fastest 480 of the week at Newcastle on Thursday with a 28.54 A2 win on +20 going. But the week’s two outstanding A1s both took place on Friday, 15 minutes apart, and both were won by Harrison hounds. The quicker of the pair was Moanteen Shadow with a 28.67 (N) head nod over Maxi On Fire.
While the Sunderland selection is going for a sprinter for the second week in a row. Ex-Pelaw A5 runner Footfield Wooly clocked 15.66 on Friday. Only Definitive Force (15.58) has gone quicker this year.
Back at the County Durham venue, Jaguar Pestana retained his POW title with a 25.88 run, one spot slower than his previous outing but still the fastest time of the week.
Both Laughil Jess and Chosen Maggie won again at Crayford on Saturday. Both produced new PBs with Maggie just missing out for a second week. But that’s seven in a row (or 10:11) now for Dave Lee’s white/black. Only Antigua Sugar has gone quicker than the 33.49 run this year.
The biggest turn-up of the week probably belongs to Westwell Dora. When she went to traps at Perry Barr on Saturday night, her last winning line of form was on New Years Day and she had been beaten in her last eight graded races A5/S2 and handicap. But in a four-runner field, the British bred 10-1 outsider was never challenged and clocked the fastest 710 of the year to date.
Imperial Kennels sent out the fastest sprinter of the year, and the quickest six-bender on Sunday afternoon courtesy of Quarteira (15.58) and Ballymac Taylor (42.93). They are virtually inseparable in terms of merit with Quarteira some 16 spots off the sprint clock and Taylor some 17 spots off the 712m record. We’ve gone for Taylor in the end, if only to use the opportunity as an excuse to mention her fabulous litter. Sister Ballymac Katie landed the 750 match at Shelbourne on Saturday. Two other litter brothers, Kaka Carlo and Garfiney Blaze are the second and third fastest dogs this year over that trip. Blaze, Katie and Carlo all contested the Corn Cuchulainn Final.
At Central Park, defending Performer of the Week Droopys Standard knocked five spots off his sprint track record with a 16.20 run. The problem was, Belfast Legend had clocked 16.19 earlier in the week and then Rossa Rise popped up with a 16.11 run. That’s just 12 spots outside the original clock as the new circuit approaches ‘normal’. Even as it stands though, it has never been more consistent.
There has been a bit of chatter about the Henlow POW. Plenty of ‘woulda, shoulda, coulda’ between a couple of the kennels. No names, but they know who they are. In the meantime Jogon Blue, three times the champ in the last five weeks, and in a very decent clock too, 27.44. The Devenish hound is the quickest this year over course and distance (27.33). Would have to be one of the main local contenders for the Henlow Maiden Derby which starts next Sunday with ‘official trialstakes’.
