The obvious place to start is the first round of the Essex Vase at Romford and the fastest first round winner Smallmead. Staying with the open races, puppy Nellys Money was the quickest of the Newcastle 480 winners last Thursday.

While Waltham Blue Boy’s 17.59 was achieved in D2 at Nottingham, it was only five spots slower than the fastest sprint of 2019.

Swift Fabio has been mentioned in various Monmore despatches over time. This week it is his litter sister Cynthias Gift who starred at Hove with a 29.33 (-10) run.

With nothing breaking 30.00 for four bends at Towcester on Sunday, the 16.04 sprint run by Hang Em High is more worthy of note.

Rising Coco was last week’s Crayford selection for a stunning S1 win. She keeps the title following a much tighter win in E1. Jet Stream Socks is another of the regular names; this week it is following a 27.33 win at Henlow. The same goes for Corona Lady with five wins from 14 races and a 27.54 clocking over Kinsley’s 462m course. Over the similar distance at Yarmouth, only one runner broke 28.00, Chess.

It is another week to ‘forget the clock’ at Doncaster, but in terms of consistency, the 25.5 kilo Paradise Kia remains one of the gamest at the track with five wins from her last nine races, the last coming on -80 going. Similar issues at Monmore where no hound has broken 29.00 in the last week. Closest to it was Daves Gift’s 29.04.

If you were looking for a track seemingly untouched by the weather – or at least expertly transformed by the track staff, few would equal Sunderland. Many Returns went quickest their this week with a 27.27 run. A note too for 15.89 sprinter Clonard Storm.

At Perry Barr, Doolin King won the best A1 of the week in 28.85 on going rated .10 slow. Interestingly, his last A1 win was won in 28.54 (N) off an identical split. Sheffield’s highest grade of the week over four bends was A2, but there was a six bend S1 which went to Emoskis Girl. At Swindon, British Bred St.Leger winner Zaha switched back to four bends and clocked an excellent 28.29 (-10).

Diesel Vicky has the quickest 415 at Harlow in the first 10 days of 2021. Central Park’s Lenson John was among the best veterans of the week with a 29.53 (-40) run.

CENTRAL PARK 29.53 480m LENSON JOHN (Taylors Sky-Dun Brae, Jun 16)
CRAYFORD 46.04 714m RISING COCO (Kinloch Brae-Old Fort Dakota, Oct 18)
DONCASTER 28.69 450m PARADISE KIA (Ri Quattro-Paradise Maria, Jul 18)
HARLOW 26.36 415m DIESEL VICKY (Taylors Sky-Corrin Amy, Oct 18)
HENLOW 27.33 460m JET STREAM SOCKS (Ballymac Vic-Ravenwood Jodie, Nov 17)
HOVE 29.33 500m CYNTHIAS GIFT (Pat C Sabbath-Swift Liscott, Jul 17)
KINSLEY 27.54 462m CORONA LADY (Good News-Glenbrentonolive, Jan 19)
MONMORE 29.04 480m DAVES GIFT (Droopys Sydney-Caragh Kayla, Aug 18)
NEWCASTLE 28.63 480m NELLYS MONEY (Sparta Maestro-Bigmans Daisy, Feb 19)
NOTTINGHAM 17.59 305m WALTHAM BLUE BOY (Hiya Butt-Roxholme Hottie, Aug 18)
PELAW GRANGE NO MEETINGS      
PERRY BARR 28.85 480m DOOLIN KING (Droopys Roddick-Killinan Rosie, Feb 18)
ROMFORD 34.84 575m SMALLMEAD (Definate Opinion-Ballymac Razl, May 18)
SHEFFIELD 39.40 660m EMOSKIS GIRL (Kinloch Brae-Fear Emoski, Jan 19)
SUNDERLAND 27.27 450m MANY RETURNS (Scolari Me Daddy-Endova Monroe, Apr 18)
SWINDON 28.29 476m ZAHA (Droopys Jet-Wiki Waki Woo, Dec 17)
TOWCESTER 16.04 270m HANG EM HIGH (Laughil Blake-Tuco Lilly, Apr 18)
YARMOUTH 27.85 462m CHESS (Taylors Sky-Allen Harbour, Aug 18)