BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

We might only be in May, but Aayamza Royale has penciled in her name as Marathon Greyhound of the Year after totally dominating the most prestigious event in the extended distance category, the Ladbrokes TV Trophy. Another 26 spots shaved off the track record and an aggregate winning distance, heats and final, of 22 lengths.

Two Cat One competitions were decided early in the week and both winners have taken the nominations.

On Tuesday, Thorn Falcon completed his unbeaten run through the KAB Maiden Derby. It was a gutsy performance with several lengths left on the track after a first bend buffeting. This is very much a subjective decision though with Warzone Tom supporters full entitled to a VAR review after their August puppy took three spots off the track record. Mention too for the record equaling sprinter Shrewd Call.

One night later, local trainer Tom Heilbron achieved his biggest success to date when Pacemaker Ted produced a personal best performance to take the Northern Flat in what was also fastest of the night and the second fastest clock of the year for the old Brough standard trip.

The week had kicked off with Bo Shine Bullet clocking the second fastest time ever recorded over 659m at Yarmouth – just nine spots of Roxhome Poppy’s clock. Worth bearing in mind that the bitch with a 23.19 sectional for 380m at Crayford, was contesting her first race in three months AND missed her break.

On the same night, Sean Davy’s Coney Wonderland produced the fastest 480 of the year at Nottingham, one spot quicker than the 28.28 recorded twice by Roxholme Sheik. It was his fourth consecutive victory for the son of Coney Cactus (Kinloch Brae-Swift Palmer) who won 10 opens for Sean, up to 730m. She wasn’t exactly pedestrian over the Sheffield 580m trip either (27.87).

There was a similar ‘home bred’ success story at Perry Barr where the Paul Gebhard owned puppy Drahbeg Dandy clocked 28.48. It was just 28 spots behind Roxholme Sheik FOY – an incredible run by a 19 month old pup having just his fourth race ever.

Swindon have had the best of both worlds with a small group meeting every week in the track’s standard distance open.

On Sunday night, Barnard (10-11) and Rodrick Rules (7-2) attempted an assault on Ballymac Intent’s (15-8) crown. They failed!

We try to avoid duplicating selections at the same track whenever possible, but that proved impossible at Romford on Friday where Aamaza Lexie, and Fight The Power, with broadly similar recent records, both clocked comfortably the fastest time of the week over six bends.

While many bemoan the lack of minor open races since the pandemic struck, the positive spin-off has been an increase in the number of competitive top heat races between the local stars, who might otherwise be ‘pot chasing’.

To date, every Central Park POW has come from the Sunday night card but the fastest time of the was recorded on Thursday by A1 winner Foolish Ways.

At Hove, Do it Eli, who was beaten in nine consecutive A4/A5s at Romford, produced a 29.13 run at Hove in landing his third consecutive A1; the fastest 500 over course and distance in the last seven months. Over the Sheffield equivalent, Barrie Draper’s Ballyboss Con won a very competitive A1 in 28.84. In the top eight times over c&d this year, the 27 kilo black appears three times.

The Sunday Showdown has become a feature of racing at Doncaster in recent weeks. This week’s card featured two high quality A1 events and three A2s and at 11.02am Jimmy Gaskin was nicely placed with 30.38 winner Waikiki Dancer (30.38) cooling off his heels and defending champ Ballymac Rocker still to come. But hold your hounds young James! The glory was snatched by Glenn Foot’s Optic Jimmy – beaten by Rocker in his last two outings– but who wasn’t for catching this week. To be resumed . . . .

At almost the same time, the Pelaw Grange quiz wasn’t so much about the track champion as ‘the best Gartcross track champion’. Three months ago, Gartcross Mo (25.96) was the quickest, soon to be followed by Gartcloss Dakota (25.75), but the powerbase has shifted once again as Gartcloss Pamer set the fastest time of the year to date, 25.66, with Dakota two places behind him.

Much simpler task at Sunderland – two A1 races in the last seven days – the quickest, by far, went to Fenway Park. The Henlow selection is quite similar. While Savana Scamp’s 27.86 win isn’t an earth shattering clock, it was recorded in the best A1 of the week with the defending POW champ Antigua Littlun three quarters of a length back in second.

If there was a poll on the Crayford top hound, on quality and consistency, it would surely have to go to Gemma Davidson’s Killeacle Alfie. A winner of five of his last six S1s, his last four winning times: 33.86, 33.83, 33.79, 33.85.

Harlow remains the trickiest venue to unpick every week and with no middle distance hound getting within eight lengths of the 26.00 benchmark, we’ll switch to the sprinters and a D1 win for Kiluran Rastaman. The sprinters also held sway at Kinsley where Newinn Bonner was only two spots off the fastest time of the year with a 16.08 run.