After a delayed start to the year, Hayley Keightley’s Roxholme Kennel were all guns blazing at the weekend.
It wasn’t the ideal start with favourite Roxholme Hat being crowded out of a winner’s chance and eventually finishing third in the Coral Golden Sprint.
Then on Saturday, the two ‘Roxholme’s’ Nidge and Jim qualfied for the RPGTV Steel City Cup decider. On Sunday, Roxholme Butt ran away with the Henlow Maiden Gold Cup Final.
Assistant trainer Mark Keightley was determined to take the positives from Romford despite Hat’s defeat.
He said: “By seeing out the Romford 400, it has given us the confidence to stay over the short four bends. Ideally we would have been looking at the Classic at Sunderland, though I gather there is some doubt as to whether it will take place this year.
“If not, we’ll be looking at the Peterborough Derby, and possibly even the Yarmouth Derby. I would be reasonably hopeful that Peterborough would suit him.”
Mark believes next Saturday’s RPGTV Steel City Cup final could prove the most high quality final staged anywhere this year.
He said: “If you look at the number of Category One winners, and also at the strike rate of all six runners, it tells its own story. I don’t think the English Derby Final can be any better than on par with the Steel City Cup in terms of overall quality. A dog of the calibre of Droopys Expert being rated a 10-1 chance, is bordering on obscene.
“In terms of Jim, he is a dog I absolutely love to bits. He is just so focused. When he is on parade, all he wants to do is get in those boxes. He is also a very easy dog to read at home. If there is something not right he practically talks to you.
“We threw him in at the deep end in the Henlow Puppy Derby. We won his first round heat but finished down the field in the second round and for a brief time, I wondered whether he had not performed when he got behind. But the following morning he was as stiff as a board, and I knew we had the answer.
“To be honest, I thought his run on Saturday was probably the best of his career. There are few dogs in training who will catch Trade Fudge when he gets on the bunny so for Jim to run as well as he did, and reduce the deficit to just two and a half lengths, was exceptional.
“Nidge is the defending champion, but this is a far better final field than the one he was able to bully last year, probably 30-40 spots per dog faster.
“I reckon Nidge is probably the fastest dog in the country over 480 metres, but wouldn’t make the top six over 500 metres. He just ’empties’ very quickly once he gets to his limit. I don’t think it helps him that the track is probably 30-40 slower than last year.
“But on the plus side, the weather is improving which may quicken things up a bit for next week, and given the draw, you could never rule him out.
“As most people know, this is all bonus for us. Nidge was expected to be sitting in my office by this stage. When we brought him back, Hayley had one ambition with him, to see if she could get him to the Derby quarter or semi finals and this is just part of that journey.
“Because of his past we have never been able to go to work with him at home for fear he would break down. But we will go for it in the Derby and if he can’t take it, then we have lost nothing.
“I was particularly pleased that he came out of Saturday’s semis in good order. He clearly tired on the run-in and lost his feet but he was in great shape on Sunday morning.”
Roxholme Butt’s victory in the £2,000 550m decider at Henlow was just the ninth race in a career that began eight months ago in the William Hill Puppy Derby.
Mark said: “He had a tough start and hasn’t really developed in the way I hoped he might. We were a bit caught out because he was a fast trapper and could produce fast sectionals, but he didn’t really have great pace.
“He is basically a dog who has a certain speed but then just keeps going. I don’t think Henlow was particularly his track, but once he hit the front he was never going to be pegged back. Our hope now is that he can stay 700 yards.
“But I would expect him to progress from the Henlow run. We have never really been able to train him so far but he is a very strong dog and should continue to improve.”
The big bonus of the weekend was the return to the track of Doncaster Leger winner Roxholme Poppy who clocked 16.27 (-10) in a sprint trial at Sheffield.
Mark said: “She absolutely crashed the boxes and ran the bend as well as I can ever remember seeing her do it.
“It was her first trial back since hurting a wrist at Shelbourne on the Night of Stars. We were originally worried that she had chipped a bone, but it turned out to be an inflamed tendon.
“We have done a lot of work on her and took her to physio George Drake last week who gave us the thumbs-up. It was really great to see her back looking so good.”
