BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

The Performance of the Week surely belongs to Antigua Romeo following his hugely impressive 34.66 run in the final of the Coral Essex Vase at Romford. To put the run into some perspective, it is the third fastest time ever recorded over course and distance behind the two previous track records, Sparta Master’s 34.59 and Quantum Leap’s 34.62.

Essex Vase winner Antigua Romeo with Kevin Ulla and Kat Lawrence, kennelhands to Mark Wallis. Photo: © Steve Nash

14 months ago, Romeo clocked the second fastest 480 of the year at Perry Barr with a 28.32. On Thursday, Frankies Jet was just three spots slower.

Sticking with the opens, only four greyhounds broke 40.00 for Central Park’s 642m last year. On Sunday night, Lenson Austin clocked exactly that time with a nine length win. On the same night, Along Came Polly produced a 28.39 (+10) run at Swindon, with the track staff worthy of as much credit as the winner.

Earlier in the day, ‘the lucrative’ Gartcloss Mo had won for the fourth time in nine races at Pelaw Grange, (9-4, 11-4, 7-2, 7-2). At roughly the same time, Alex Hopkins’ Kilara Diamond was landing the top A2 of the week at Doncaster. While at Kinsley, Brosna Blonde gets the nomination more for her consistency that fast times. Sunday’s D1 win was her tenth in her last 17 races, including four seconds.

With the Winter Derby just around the corner, host track Monmore will be looking for a strong local showing and few look better equipped than Shelbys Memory, who has won four of his last six, the most recent in a calculated 28.16.

Going allowances have also been important at Newcastle where Tom Heilbron’s Drumcrow Vince has the quickest run of the week, 28.83 (+10). But we have to pass him over in favour of Ice Of Diamonds, not just because her 28.87 A1 win was recorded on going rated .30 slow, but also in view of the fact that she is still four months short of her second birthday.

Saturday night saw some decent open race performances over at least five different distances at Crayford. Which was the worthiest? We’ll edge it to Antgua Romeo’s kennelmate Aayamza Lexie based on the fact that only one hound went quicker over course and distance in 2020, Dantes Inferno (33.47).

From six to five bends, and Lexie’s kennelmate Jaxx Purple was arguably the track champion over the competitive Henlow 550m trip. This week though she had to play second fiddle to the consistent Shady Diesel.

By their standards it was a fairly mediocre open race card at Nottingham on Monday with the outstanding performance going to the graded winner, Dark Ocean. Also on Monday, a fastest top heat run at Yarmouth for Montrose, whose litter brother Lochryan was late 2020 nomination following a 27.97 run.

Back in November, Quadrilateral was contesting a very hot novice bitch stake at Clonmel, won by Ballymac Notoyou in 28.65. The Harlow A5 proved a lot easier to negotiate with the best run of the week.

Sunderland’s POW last week Newinn Billy had his crown taken by newcomer Killahan Diver when the pair met in a tasty A1 on Wednesday. Paul Miller’s black is unbeaten in his three outings at the track.

But if you are really looking for competitive, nobody can compete with Hove. Three A1s on the same night: 29.53, 29.54, 29.56. The quickest of the trio, Minstrels Eleven.

Which leads us nicely onto Sheffield’s top middle distance performance of the week from Coney Calyx. A litter sister to last week’s nomination Coney Kuccini, the 27 kilo brindle not only has the fastest 500m run of the year to date (from A4), at four years old, 28.83 is the fastest of a Sheffield career that commenced in 2018.