BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

What a fantastic gutsy performance from Punk Rock Mutley to land the Ladbrokes Golden Jacket Final, though we are swerving the big race winner in favour of a local grader Auchen Haggis with two wins in the last week, the quickest being a 23.04 victory in A5 company. Contesting only his third race, the pup was only 19 spots outside Brinkleys Poet’s track record.

There was another performance of note from a Droopys Roddick pup when Roxholme Sheik produced the fastest Nottingham 480 in nine months. In fact, only Plaza Lep (28.39) went quicker in all of 2020.

Saturday night’s Monmore card saw a 28.22 (-30) FOY to date for Queen Jessiej, who was the fastest over course and distance in 2020 with a 27.85 (N) run – with a special mention though for puppy, Dannid. Moaning Matrix was Harlow’s quickest middle distance runner last year with a 25.73 clock and now leads the 2021 table with a 26.06 run.

Saturday has produced most of the top Hove performances in recent weeks, but last week, the better class action switched to Thursday where Jason Heath’s Talabarry Best landed consecutive A1s, most recently in 29.56 (-30)

At Romford, Gemma Evan’ Droopys Aoife clocked 35.04 for a recent record for four wins and three seconds in her last seven outings.

Among the clearest winners of the week was Yarmouth’s Great Discovery, with 43 spots to spare over the next quickest 462m winner of the week. There was something similar at Doncaster’s where Crinkill Bolt’s 29.79 was half a second quicker than the next best on Sunday’s card. At Henlow, Savana Phoenix’s 27.76 was aided by running on much quicker going in the last few days.

The biggest price nomination is surely Newcastle’s Fadesandblades who returned at 16-1 when winning a very decent top heat. Many Returns was made it six wins from his last nine A1s in Sunderland’s top race of the week.

Last week’s top Sheffield performer The Other Rex (28.69) seemed to have a serious challenger for bragging rights in kennelmate Ballyboss Con. Instead it was Nigel Saunders’ pup Maximum Security who came out in front. Staying in Yorkshire, Newinn Bonner has the fastest 462m run of the week (off level breaks) at Kinsley.

Perry Barr returned from Covid closure with a Saturday night meeting where Newinn Banger and Bobbly Wobbly – went head to head for a third consecutive time. Pat Rosney’s runner now leads 2-1.

Towcester and Pelaw Grange staged their first races in a fortnight. At Pelaw, five runners clocked between 26.40-26.49 with Brosna Dazzler the quickest. Savana Towcester overcame a 12 race losing sequence to land the best race of the day, an A3.

Sunday also featured opens from Central Park and Swindon. At the former, there was a fine win for Stoneyholmeblitz over 642m, but the 29.52 (-20) run over hurdles for Storys Goal just edges it. Rodrick Rules’ FOY to date for the Swindon 476m course makes him a penalty kick.