BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

The easiest selection on the week – a phenomenal performance from Thorn Falcon. Nine races, seven wins and two Cat 1s, including THE Cat 1. His 29.06 winning time is the joint third fastest ever, just a neck off Bockos Belly’s clock.

A special mention too for Havana Class setting a new sprint clock of 15.45 and a 3-3 leveling up score for Savana Volcano in her dual with Aayamza Royale.

Nine months ago Churchill Holly was contesting the English Derby semis. She remains at Nottingham and landed the fastest of the Monday night opens in 29.85 (+50). The fact that the first race on the card was won in 32.05 is a sobering thought though.

There were a number of high quality appearances at Perry Barr on Thursday but not better than Sparta Master’s 40.02 run for the 660m, the quickest time since Drahbeg Dash’s 39.93 run in November 2019. (The veteran Dash is returning from injury and clocked 16.30 for the sprint two days earlier)

Master is among hounds have broken 35.00 for Romford’s 575m trip this year. Aayamza Lexie is eighth on the list with a 34.93 run. One Friday night, she was just seven spots slower with a 35.00 run.

Weighing up Hove graded form against Thursday’s 515/695 opens on a slow track is a tricky one. So we will take a line through Jaguar Fury whose last A1 win was timed at 29.44. He won a 515 open on Thursday in 30.50, minutes after Aayamza Lexie’s kennelmate Fatboyz Exile had clocked 29.94 over the same course.

Yarmouth’s POW nomination is always one of the easiest to call. All standard distance, either one or two dogs break 28.00, who went quicker? The crosshairs fall firmly on Sendinthegold with a 27.86 run.

With all due respect to Paradise McGyver, his 23.43, fastest 380 of the week in A5 at Crayford, was not the most interesting run of the last seven days. What on earth was happening with a 38.85 win for Upward Diamond over six bends on Saturday?

Most weeks the Monmore selection is based on ‘did anything outperform Daddys Prince this week?’ The answer is self evident. Six bend specialist, missed his break in A1 and clocked the fastest four bend time. Simples.

At Newcastle, the best two four bend performances were recorded by September puppies. Droopys Eye did 28.67 in A3, but Killieford Kody clocked 28.57 in the second A2 of her brief career. But Eye’s trainer Angela Harrison fared better at Sheffield where Coolavanny Bani beat a decent field in her first race at the track since last year’s unfortunate ‘Three Steps’ attempt.

Sean Parker’s Barnside Millie went into Saturday’s A1 race as the reigning POW champ at Doncaster and rubber stamped that with a comfortable 29.58 run in the fastest time of the week. Presumably there are three ‘Ballymacs’ and a ‘Kilara’ lining up for a set-to next weekend!

Sunday’s ‘Super A1’ didn’t take place this week, the sole survivor, Jimmy The Snail, made full use of the absent Rail McCoy, Jetstream Socks, All About Taylor and the rest, to deliver in 27.54 – a time that was equaled in another A1 by Noans First in a slightly easier A1 the previous day.

Two dogs dominate the Harlow top grade (A4) and they seem to keep missing each other. Reigning champ Front Society wasn’t out this week, which enable great rival Indian Trump to take advantage. His 26.01 was the seventh fastest time of the year. Roger York’s dog appears three times in the top six.

A few of the big names were also missing at Pelaw Grange this week, which enabled Ashbank Boss to steal the honours in a 26.17 A2. While at Sunderland, Abbys Dot Com, who began her career in A8, won her first A1 outright (she had previously dead-heated) in easily the quickest ‘27’ of the week.

In terms of Kinsley’s ‘quickest 27 of the week’ – that would apply to Gortroe Rainbow. Though trainer Dave Fradgley might also point out that his 21 month old pup had five wins and a second in her last six races.

In terms of impressive stats – Magical Arrow is somewhere near the front of the queue. Not only did he turn over Smurfs Machine at Swindon on Sunday night, it was his 11^th open win in 20 outings.

We would normally look to the Central Park Sunday night opens for their outstanding performance, but this week it arrived on Friday courtesy of Paul Donovan’s prolific A1 winner Deadly Doughnut who weighed in with a 29.29 (-30) run.