BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Given the near track record performances of Skywalker Cilla at Perry Barr it is no surprise that she has hogged the headlines. But on the night that mattered it took a game run from Billys Diva to land a high quality Oaks final.

On Saturday night Kevin Hutton picked up the Bresbet Steel City Cup with Forest Gold. The winning time was decent, but it was more about the gutsy effort to get past kennelmate Signet Ace and then hold off a game Cascade King.

Meanwhile at Monmore, a former Hutton inmate Liberty Belle produced one of the best performances of her career with a 28.22 six length open race win.

On Sunday afternoon beaten St.Leger favourite Blueberry Bullet returned to the track where he UK career kicked off in A3 and landed the fastest heat of the Bookmakers Hunt Cup. The winner’s time was a very respectable 43.47 (-30) with track record holder Kishlawn Shira (43.00) back in third.

Last week, we overlooked Warzone Tom’s 34.76 at Romford, deciding that he was edged out by the Champion Stakes winner. But you can’t keep a top dog down and a 33.15 run for Crayford’s 540 metres was the fastest clock over c&d in over four years.

Similarly Emotional just missed out to Headford Harry at Swindon last week despite breaking the six bend clock. But she confirmed the form on Sunday when beating Southfield Code for a second time. (There was clearly a lot of sentiment around on the night with Emotion winning an earlier graded race).

When you look down the list of fastest 500m performances at Nottingham this year you find the likes of Signet Ace (29.32) and Tenpin (29.31). Both though we overshadowed by the brilliant local Churchill Holly with a Derby class 29.29 FOY on Monday night.

On Friday night at Romford, Right Joe clocked 24.02 for the 400m, but since Aero Squeak doesn’t reach his second birthday birthday until next February, his 24.19 run get the vote.

Harlow selection Ballymac Tessa made full use of the rules to take a 415m maiden in midweek – she had already won three opens under the 410m qualifying criteria.

The return of open racing to Sunderland brought extra interest on Thursday. Pick of the bunch was Sonic Emmjay who was just three spots off the fastest time of the year on a track where sire and dam both had winning form.

Sunday night’s £750 ARC Puppy Trophy Final featured four offspring of American import Pat C Sabbath including two pairs of littersmates. Brothers Borna Wine and Borna Bruno finished first and third with Wine clocking a very respectable 28.96.

Moving onto the graded fare, Droopys Hooray looked set to be the Newcastle selection on the basis of a 28.85 (-20) A1 win on Tuesday. That was until he ran again on Saturday and clocked 28.41 (-10). His last nine races show six wins and three seconds.

Hove was a simple choice. Seomra Razl – who has winning form over Jaguar Macie at Monmore – returned to graded company and produced the best 500m run in many weeks, 29.52 (-20).

Paul Burr’s Drumdoit Fortune took a break from his open race campaign to clock the fastest of the four A1s staged at Yarmouth in the last week. Doncaster staged just one A1 and the selection was always going to be about who won it. It turned into a successful defense of his title for Sean Parker’s Zero O’Eight who found nine spots on last week’s run.

Kinsley’s best four bend event – an A2 – featured the reigning champ Cloneen Alba. But he could finish no better than third – sh sh – behind the returning Glenvale Gav.

Lunar Prince came very close to the Henlow nomination with the seventh fastest 550 of the year. But he is edged out by hat-trick winning All About Taylor with the fifth fastest 460.

Stuck On You, a litter sister to Sunderland selection Sonic Emjay (26.32) came within a whisker of sealing a family double at Pelaw but was ‘outclocked’ by A4 winner Glengiblin Buick in an A4.