BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

After the six week focus of ‘you know what’ all attention was switched to Hove on Saturday for the Sussex Cup and Regency first round. It is almost to compare performances over two different distances, but can anybody really dispute the claims of Kishlawn Shakira over 695m? Not only was she the quickest on the night, she was also completing a five-timer.

Droopys Addition would have landed the nomination just about any other week for a 29.59 run over the 515m course. It was the fastest run since Smallmead more than a year ago and he now has the three of the four quickest times of 2021. (It is perhaps interesting to compare his best two Towcester 500m times, 29.18/29.21 with Saturday’s 515m recording at Hove – though he has previously trapped a length quicker at Hove)

Towcester have a long menu of top class action to come this year and Shakira’s kennelmate Brookside Richie currently has centre stage for the Puppy Classic having clocked 29.34 in Tuesday’s semi finals. He has six races to date and David Mullins’ pup is still to be out of the forecast places.

A track record is almost a guarantee of a mention – unless it is bettered on the same night. No such worries for Tom Heilbron’s Freedom Whiskey who took three spots off Deadly Act’s course record for the Newcastle 290m on Wednesday night. He had finished second in his four previous outings at the track.

Then on Sunday night, veteran Kingsbrook Glyn (from the litter that includes Ballmac Tas, Ballymac Tas and Patanjali) took 14 spots off Southfield Bea’s Swindon 649m clock with a 39.20 run.

The Central Park 642m clock is held by Affleck Bolt in 39.33 (N). Also on Sunday night, Warzone Tom made a successful six bend debut and clocked 39.86 on a track calculated at -50.

Just 45 minutes later the reigning Henlow POW holder Jimmy The Snail was defending his title against the strongly fancied Drumcrow Bruce. It didn’t go well with Bruce clocking a career best 27.48 as he won for the sixth time in his 12 Henlow outings. His previous three defeats over course and distance were all in ‘super A1s’, and in each case he was beaten by kennel mates – Muxton Teddy and Rail McCoy (x2).

Lyn Cook continues to draw wages from Plaza Lep and Churchill Holly. A reminder that Holly retained the title for a week doesn’t begin to appreciate a career best run for a bitch who reached last year’s Derby semis.

If you had been betting on who would come out on top of Friday night’s Romford card, Bockos Jonjo and last week’s POW Aayamza Lexie would both have been short in the betting. Instead though it was Richard Devenish’s Towcester A2/A3 regular Lunar Prince with a 34.81 run in the 575 final.

Sheffield are back among the opens though it was hard to compare the comparative merits of the winners over three different distances on Saturday. After a bit of toing and froing, the decision goes in favour of a dog who was taking the Newcastle four bend accolades a couple of weeks ago, Sonic Stormi. A mention too for Gary Griffiths’ Sweetheart Deal who has won her last three, all on different tracks at combined odds of 617-1.

Staying in Yorkshire, the only A1 of the week went to the prolific Kilara Lark, but with the clock so much in his favour (an identical time to the last POW nomination), this week has to go to June McCombe’s A3 winning puppy, Candlelightharry.

Any Perry Barr punter could have identified the 11.36 on Saturday as the top race of the week and source of this week’s nomination. It went to British bred Shortwood who began his career in A5 and finally bagged his first A1.

With few sprints or stayers races at present, the Yarmouth selection is normally down to “who clocked the fastest ‘27’” In fact, four runners broke 28.00 this week with Jura Go Max the fastest (27.77) on Monday. Thought it is a debatable point as to whether it should have gone to Adamant Taurus who beat Max in 27.88 on Saturday.

Kinsley’s quickest 462 was recorded by Corona Lady (27.60) though the real competition is in D1 where Bosna Blonde, Newinn Bonner, Kilaharry Best and Murlens Tweet are engaged in an ongoing series of weekly deciders to decide the top sprinter. The current champ – Brosna Blonde.

Classie Lexie loves July. In July last year, Dave Lee’s fawn won two and finished second once in her four 540 races at Crayford clocking the best time of her career, 33.84. She has three races so far this month, winning two clocking her second fastest time ever, 33.88.

Really struggled for anything of significance at Harlow this week – hopefully the opens will fill this week. Fastest four bend time goes to Breton Aline.

Sunderland’s best run was recorded by Witton Logician who has been an absolute punter’s favourite with 11 wins in his 28 graded performances at the track. While at North East neighbours Pelaw Grange, a 26.18 run was enough to secure the honours for Dalton Banjo, his fourth win in his last five outings.

As far as Monmore is concerned – same question as last week ‘did anything outperform Daddys Prince?’

What do you think?