BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

‘Golden Toncils’ (@TVdarrell) beat us to the story this week when declaring it impossible to split Saturday’s two big winners at Crayford. He is right of course.

In Warzone Tom, you have a Gold Collar winner who has shown huge determination and trackcraft throughout to defy bad trap draws and prove himself clearly the fastest hound in the event. Salacres Pippy was simply clinical with an outstanding display in the Cesarewitch including producing a 540m sectional (33.44) quicker than Warzone Tom’s winning time.

Two outstanding greyhounds but also a reminder to the detractors that while it will never be a Derby venue, Crayford remains of significant importance as a racing circuit for hounds with a specific skill set.

Should Signet Ace land tonight’s Eclipse Final he will almost certainly land his third consecutive POW at Nottingham having landed his semi final in 29.19. It was the fastest run since Deerjet Sydney’s second round win in last year’s Derby and the joint sixth fastest time ever recorded over c&d.

Ace’s half brother Front Monopoly landed the fastest four bend open at Harlow on Wednesday but it is Dan Brabon’s Ragtime Storm who is getting the ‘copy and paste’ treatment following her fourth win in her last five outings and her fastest 592 to date. With yet another title defended by Sweet Pear at Romford. The clock suggested a decline of 18 spots on the previous week, the stewards assessed it as a 22 spot improvement.

Earlier in the week, the Sheffield track staff’s endeavours were rewarded when Duke De Janerio took three spots off his PB for the 500m course with the third fastest clock of the year.

Hove had Olympic trialstakes over the 515m course in addition to the regular 500s and quickest of the lot over the longer course was Richard Yeates’ Lanzo who last featured in this column following a ten length 29.20 win in A1. That’s a 174-1 four-timer. Stranger Things happen at Sunderland where Yvonne Bell’s open racer switched back to A1 and went a spot quicker in the fastest time of the week.

It was at Sunderland that Dunquin Puma contested the ARC Puppy Cup Final alongside Brookside Richie and Skywalker Stan having clocked 28.47 on debut at Newcastle. Things haven’t worked out quite as well as might be expected but with three wins in his last six including a FOW 28.65, hopefully Angela Harrison’s black is returning to his best.

Most weeks, a 28.10 for 480 (Goldies Mabbutt) or a 37.79 for 630 (Santro Duke) would be enough to secure the Monmore nomination. But with the quickest 684 in two years, it has to go to last week’s fastest 630 winner Bombardier.

Similarly, most weeks at Yarmouth, between two and four runners break the 28.00 barrier. This week there was only one making his selection a formaiity, All About Gold. A similar story at Kinsley, one sub-28.00 run for ex-Henlow/Towcester regular Tullymurry Boss.

Meanwhile at Henlow it was ex-Belle Vue A2 regular Ballymac Tessa who produced the best run of the week when landing the top heat in 27.74 (-20).

Having staged the Oaks and Laurels, most of the year’s quickest 480 times at Perry Barr have gone to the open racers. So great credit to recent Irish arrival Crystal Reggie for a 28.17 run in A2.

Varying weather conditions between race meetings have made times redundant at some tracks. No better example than Doncaster whose sole A1 race of the week was won in a hand-timed 31.20 (-100) by the tough Meteoric Rise.

A string of Sunday meetings were cancelled due to frozen tracks. Unfortunately the weather cost Pelaw’s only fixture of the week. Swindon lost their open card leaving honours for the week’s quickest four bend winner Magical Hulk who clocked 28.46 in A2 a few days earlier.

Central Park did beat the weather and saw the emergence of a bright new hurdling talent in Chasing Turkey. Dave Lee’s runner was no mug on the flat having run Ten Pin to a length and a half over the flat course where he had a personal best of 28.77(calc). A nine length 29.47 (-10) run in his first race over the jumps suggests Champion Hurdle potential, and then of course there is always the Springbok!

Towcester’s loss of the Sovereign Stakes final and Puppy Derby heats meant the quickest middle distance performer was A3 winner Iron Brew. Interestingly, Brew is a litter brother to previous POW winners Ballyboss Baz (Sheffield), Carter Bar (Romford), Lochryan and Montrose (both Yarmouth). Surely a record?