Race previews by Crayford Racing Manager Danny Rayment
Massive thanks to Crayford Racing Manager Danny Rayment for his assessment of this second fabulous Crayford feature meeting in eight weeks. While the Ladbrokes sponsored TV Trophy and Champion Hurdle might be expected to attract top class fields – given the large volume of open races staged this weekend – the undercard is remarkably solid.
Be warned though, the man himself doesn’t fill us with confidence “Whenever I go on RPGTV, I struggle to pick a winner at Crayford. I do a lot better at Towcester.”
(In a spirit of openness, it seems only fair to inform readers that Danny was operating under the duress of knowing that Perry Barr’s Martin Seal picked six winners from 11 selections on the recent Judgement Night card!)
Danny said: “You would have to say that Bobbing Gnavatar has to be a strong selection in here; his best form is superior to any of the others. There is a slight issue with the draw. Magical Oscar may edge in from six at the traps, but Ardnasool Flash will go straight to rail so there should be plenty of room. Oscar should then get a run on the outside.” 5-6-2
Danny said: “I wasn’t expecting this to fill but four of the six eliminated from the TV Trophy decided to enter. Of those, I thought Savana Spartacus was the unluckiest not to qualify for the final. He was travelling well until he was brought to a standstill. I would expect Anglesey Away and Luna Jezabelle to dominate early and Spartacus to finish strongest. 2-5-3
Danny said: “I suppose we might expect Ricky to have a big say in this! We are actually putting this final on quite early in the card because Ritzy Spirit gets himself in such a state. He gets so excited which, we think, has led to him causing a couple of the races to be made void by him putting his legs through the traps. That is the theory anyway. Despite that, he will be my selection. Lenson Doolin will probably start as favourite, but Spirit is as quick and will probably be better value. 6-3-5
Danny said: “It has to be Gooner in here. He ran very well here on debut and was entered in a puppy race that didn’t fill. So he ended up taking on Bens Lad who is in the form of his life. There is nothing of his calibre in here and he Gooner may improve for his previous outing.” 6-1-4
Danny said: “Ideally I would have liked traps one and two drawn the other way around, Glengar Lucky is really a ‘trap two’ dog. But he should still be good enough to get a run. He does need to break though 1-4-5
Danny said: “This looks to be between three and six and on balance, I’m just favouring Lizs Legacy. It isn’t so long ago that she was doing a ‘Bens Lad’ when she was virtually unbeatable. She loves this track and I would expect a big run from her.” 6-3-2
Danny said: “I am delighted to welcome Time Greyhound Nutrition as sponsors. They have already put some money into a graded competition which was well received. I don’t think this is the most competitive race you will see though because realistically, I can’t look beyond Bens Lad. He wasn’t always this consistent. He used to throw in the odd slow break, as his did in the Track Championship last year. But he is a different dog now and will go to traps as a short priced favuorite.” 5-1-6
Danny said: “Fastnet Nova has been knocking at the door since switiching to 714 and this could be her day. I understand that Lee Gifkins thinks a lot of his new arrival Capel Rose, but I’ll stick with the selection.” 3-5-4
Danny said: “I would love to see the fairytale come true for Bellmore Sally, but I can see a scenario where she get’s beat. I don’t think she will get such a clear run as in the heats because Queen Pink could prove an obstacle on the inside. If that happens and she can’t dominate, then Ower Smasher looks the most likely to benefit. I know Diane Henry thinks an awful lot of Savana Queen, though she might be more of a long term prospect. Overall, I think it is a very good race.” 3-4-6
Danny said: “This looks to be a tight race, particularly on the inside. So I am going for Knockard Rory who is the sectional record holder. He seems to be coming back to himself and can go clear on the outside. 6-2-4
Danny said: “This is a particularly good competitive final. Lamorna Ollie has just won a £500 competition and is ideally drawn in trap one to repeat the performance. 1-6-2.
Danny said: “The one and the three are the big two in this one and are both returning from seasonal breaks. I would imagine Savana Regera is being lined up for the Kent St Leger but she has trialled well and could be good enough over this distance. She reached the Cesarewitch Final and her recent trials are promising enough. 1-3-5
Danny said: “I think you can make a case for all five in here but I am going with Yankee Molly. I doon’t think there is much doubt that she wants further but Ricky has held her back because of her age. A close call between the rest with five and six the most likely. 2-5-6
Danny said: “In all honesty, not the highest quality open to complete the card. In fact my selection Swift Bawdy is assessed as being S2. Liffeyside Woo’s Central Park form would give her a decent chance but she might need to step up on her trial.” 1-3-5
