BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

A fabulous 1-2 for trainer Angela Harrison at Romford in the Essex Vase with Coolavanny Aunty beating kennelmate Bani. For the record, the respective breeders were Shane O’Gorman and Brendan Matthews. If you saw the race, you’ll appreciate that the winning time is irrelevant. It was a performance of guts, trackcraft, determination, and above all ‘class’ from a fabulous and thoroughly deserving winner. It was a 16th win in 26 races including two Cat One victories.

A fabulous win for Ivy Hill Skyhigh in the Permarket Blue Riband but was that the best run on the day? Congratulations on another gutsy performance but after lots of thought, we are edging it to kennelmate Antigua Lava for a 43.22 run, the track record being 42.90.

Bellmore Rossi clocked 29.33 for an A1 graded win at Nottingham last week. On Monday night though he found one ot good in Ernie Skeech’s Trionas Travel, the dog whose 28.05 run at Perry Barr saw him top dog there a week ago. Sticking with the Nottingham theme, Mickys Barrett, who beat Rossi in his last A1, continued his impressive form in an ARC Puppy Derby trialstake at Newcastle. Jason Gray’s youngster, unraced in Ireland, has won his last five in a row.

At Sheffield, connections of Hather Daisy might feel hard done by in not getting the nomination for the fastest run over the lightly used 720m course in five years. But we’ve decided to edge it to Sandwood Jet who lowered the colours of last week’s selection Freedom Whiskey in a cleanly run four-runner field.

Struggling to work out the comparative merits of the Harlow winners due to the heavy going on Wednesday night. So the shout-out is for the near 11 length marathon winner Lubagh Silver on going rated (-120).

Another fine run, also blurred by winter going was produced by Distant Bolt romped up in the Central Park 642m open in 40.18; the real quality highlighted by the -40 going. Also on Sunday, a close call between sprinter Houton Main and puppy Blue Jig Elsa. A coin-flip gives it to the latter in completing an O/R hat-trick.

The Golden Jacket is rapidly approaching and Mark Wallis sent out trialstake winners Aayamza Dream and Bombardier on Saturday. The latter gets the nod based on going two spots quickest.

Antigua Woofwoof attempted to defend his Monmore title but found one too good in Bull Run Norris – a hound still defying the idea that long term lameness inevitably leads to terminal decline.

While the open racer invariably get most of the plaudits, it is often the graders’ exploits that make the best reading in this feature. One great example comes from Yarmouth where on Wednesday night the last three Performance of the Week winners, Cold Blow, Maxi Twister and Montrose met in the same race. The punters had few doubts who was the ‘daddy’. Irene Barnard’s 7-4f Montrose entirely justified their faith in a ruthless 27.70 A1 win.

Kinsley’s 462m is an easier ask than Yarmouth’s. Three level break races beat the 28.00 barrier this week, the quickest being A4 winner Real Gent in 27.73.

Doncaster didn’t fill their Monday night opens but would they really have attracted more interest than the clash of the track’s big hitters in the week’s sole A1 on Sunday morning? The winner was a dog who has been short of his best in recent weeks but landed four consecutive A1s back in April, Glitter Gee.

A1 was also the battleground at Henlow where Breakfast Club and Fernhall Roxy won in identical times, 28.05 (-40), on the same day. Looking for a tite breaker, and it goes to Roxy with a better recent record.

Matts Marine featured in this feature shortly after qualifying at Sunderland and is back again with the week’s best middle distance run, 27.46. Meanwhile at Pelaw, track champion Marinas Artist returned the put the young pretender Hurley Spring back in his place with a flying 25.77 run.

Finally, the ups and downs of racing could not have been better highlighted than in Perry Barr’s Madabout Cody with a FOW on Thursday followed by a ‘Fell2‘ on Saturday.