BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

It has been a tremendous week for open racing starting as early as Monday’s ARC Judgement Night. Signet Ace missed out on the nomination when winning the Select the previous week, but a 29.32, just one spot slower than Tenpin’s fastest 500 of the year, just gave him the nod over the brilliant pup Coolavanny Aunty (29.48)

Savana Eruption’s winning time in the GAIN Greyhound Nutrition Three Steps To Victory final was nearly three lengths off the fastest 660 of the year recorded by Heathlawn Lemon, though Diane Henry’s dog gives the impression that this is still someway short of his optimum trip.

Wednesday featured the three semi finals of the Bresbet East Anglian Derby and a fastest run over course and distance in three years for the Mark Wallis trained, Amanda Jeal owned Antigua Storm. Also on Wednesday, the first of Newcastle’s ‘Winner Of One’ open race competitions were launched. Tullovin Alfie wouldn’t make the top six among Angela Harrison’s best four bend performers at the track, but he has been a fabulous A1/handicap servant and an ideal candidate for this type of event.

The Birmingham Cup and St.Leger loom large at Perry Barr and Thursday night’s card featured a race worthy of a (five runner) Leger final. It went to Steve Rayner’s 22-1 shot Night Time Danny who led home a field consisting of Aayamza Royale, Kishlawn Shakira, Ragtime Arthur and Bo Shine Bullet. For those who struggle with winning times, only Roxholme Kristof broke 43.00 last year (twice).

On a very bad week for David Mullins’ kennel with a serious injury to his 2020 Romford Puppy Cup winner, kennelmate and Juvenile Classic winner Brookside Richie beat Puppy Classic winner Bubble Apache in 23.77, in by far the fastest first round winner of this year’s event.

When a hurdler goes five lengths faster than the fastest open race winner on the flat for the same distance, he is likely to figure in this column Hence Roxholme Biscuit’s 33.61 run, just half a length outside Razldazl Raidio’s clock is well worthy of a mention. (Aayamza Lexie’s fastest time of the year on the flat this year is 33.37!)

No trainer dominates the Performance of the Week column more than Harlow’s Roger York. He was represented by FOUR POW winners in Wednesday’s Monkey Final. This week it was the turn of Humble Jet, again!

Hove A1 winners this week: 29.74, 29.79, 29.99, 30.34, 30.52, 30.56. Easy selection then, Demand Note whose 29.74 was recorded on -20.

We don’t always select the fastest clock for the selection, but when you are two lengths quicker than the next fastest hound over course and distance over the course of a week, you do force yourself to the front of the queue, as per Sunderland’s Ardmore Jet. Likewise there was only one sub 28.50 run at Monmore this week. Ex-Shelbourne 28.98 winner Romantic Rumble picked up his first Wolverhampton A1 in 28.36.

Doncaster’s Chieftain Snow, four months short of his fifth birthday, continues to be a phenomenon. He has six wins and a second from his last seven races and four of them have been half a length or less. Meanwhile 15 miles to the north west, Peads Dazzler and Cloneen Alba were due to continue their battle as Kinsely’s top four-bender. Dazzler pulled one back last week, only for the pair to be put in their place by the return to form of Corona Lady.

Marinas Artist was deposed as Pelaw top dog by Your Round Benny while he was away open racing. Order was restored and the pretender put in his place with a 25.65 run, an unbeaten A1 sequence of four.

The Swindon vote goes to track specialist and 2020 Derby fourth Smurfs Machine with the third fastest 476 of the year on Sunday night. Less than two hours earlier, another from the Cahill range, March On Cherry, was making a very impressive six bend debut at Central Park. The January pup who reached A1 at Hove after consecutive wins in A2 won by six lengths on a track rated -30.

The week’s only ‘copy and paste’ – quite literally – was Steve Fletcher’s Henlow veteran Layton Shrek with a second consecutive 27.40 A1 win. A recent record is extended to 9 races, 6 wins, 2 seconds – A1/S1.

Last but not least, a very fine run from Adeles Duke at Towcester. A ‘fair’ dog on his Irish form – his last line of Irish form was a 29.03 win at Shelbourne – he has been a revelation since joining Lee Field reaching Golden Sprint and Laurels Finals. His 29.40 run on Sunday was the Derby quarter finalists’ eighth race at Towcester, of which he has won six (combined two and four bends).