Mark Pierrepont gives his insight into 12 high class open races featuring the semi finals of the Star Sports & TRC Greyhound Derby, plus the semis of the RPGTV Derby Plate, the RPGTV Watling Street Sprint, the Gain Nutrition Feed Challenge Cup, plus the qualifiers of the Original Foods Dorando Marathon and GreyhoundTrader.com Stakes on a full open race card
Don’t forget the First round review: Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Second round: Friday Saturday Third round Quarter Finals
Derby Colour guide to ‘halfway’ from ‘halfway’ in the first round –
Yellow/black prices (left) are Star Sports ante post – blue prices (right) are a rough indicator to individual race betting
Star Sports & TRC English Greyhound Derby semi-final evening at Towcester racecourse awaits. A magnificent card from start to finish and at the end of which we will know our six finalists for the biggest greyhound race in the world. The English Derby is THE DERBY, it is the competition which every breeder, owner, trainer dreams about winning. The dreams of six sets of connections are about to become ever more realistic.
The evening gets underway with the first semi-final of the RPGTV Derby Plate at 6.04pm and whilst the eye is immediately drawn to a potentially well drawn Sporting Chile I’m prepared to stick with the rapidly improving John Mullins trained Chelms Fred. The Derby came around just too soon for a greyhound just returning from injury and he was eliminated in the first round. Since then however he’s been flawless with a dominant victory in A1 here followed up with an equally as impressive performance a high class first round heat of this competition last time out. Sharon Thompson’s Master Ten Ten drawn to his right-hand side will definitely be edging inwards at the earliest available opportunity but with a break he’ll simply not live with Fred and will be tucking in behind. So long as Fred clears Tom Heilbron’s Innfield Trojan by the turn he should be away and gone and book himself a slot in next week’s final.
The second semi-final of the Derby Plate see’s the greyhounds head to traps at 6.20pm and this looks a good opportunity to Paul Foster’s Goldies Perryman to win yet again at a track he’s well at home at. Steve as he’s known to his enthusiastic group of owners many of whom have connections to the O’Brien-McPherson horse racing yard started his racing career of here at Towcester last year in A4 company but soon rattled off a series of wins that highlighted his ability as much higher than that. A real nice greyhound with super early pace and a great attitude he’s a 12-time race winner with 7 of those coming at open class. He’s inconsistent at the start at times but he’s well drawn for a smash break here and if producing one he can lead round at big odds and not be for catching. The beers (and the cake !) will definitely be flowing if Steve gets the job done.
Semi Final one of one of the (take a breath) RPGTV Notebook Watling Street Sprint Trophy can go to Liz McNair’s Havana Class. This heat looked there for the taking but after Friday lunchtime’s withdrawal of Pat Buckley’s competition favourite Flashing Willow who was so impressive when setting a new track record in last week’s heat the path now looks clear for McNair’s charge to take advantage.
Semi-final two can go to one of last week’s heat winners and a greyhound who was originally not even accepted for the competition. Ballymac Slapup is one of the fastest UK sprinters in training and despite maybe being a little bit below his best in a few recent starts his omission from the accepted entry list raised a few eyebrows. All’s well that ends well however and the John Mullins trained star took his chance in no uncertain terms when holding off Havana Class by half a length. With the Mullins kennel form improving week by week we could well see an even sharper Slapup in action tonight and from a perfect looking draw he’s taken to smash out and lead all the way.
Semi-final one of The Gain Nutrition Challenge Cup and this looks a formality for John Mullins Callmesteve. With no disrespect to his rivals Callmesteve is a class apart both in the competition as a whole (on current form) and in this semi-final. If he does his running it will be another winner for the bang in form Mullins camp.
Semi-final two can go to Mark Wallis’s Blueberry Bullet. Unlike one or two or her rivals she comes into tonight’s semi-final bang in form. Capable from off the front or further back (when she gets her passing right) Bullet can smash out and make every post a winning one. The market will be made by Steve Rayner’s Night Time Danny and Jimmy Fenwick’s Bellmore Sally but whether either of the pair are coming into this in their very best form is debatable.
It’s the main event as we head into semi-final one of the Star Sports & TRC English Greyhound Derby. John Mullins Signet Goofy is the only greyhound still left unbeaten in the competition and he’s selected to win once more with another smash break that can soon see him at the head of affairs from what looks a perfect draw.
Graham Holland’s Romeo Magico can turn behind the selection and keep on for second place whilst Diane Henry’s Savana Beau can once again show that he possesses the heart of a lion to come from way back and qualify for the final for track promoter and saviour of the sport Kevin Boothby. Deelish Frankie is running well for connections but will need to find a huge improvement at the traps if he’s to qualify here, that may well be forthcoming under one of the shrewdest trainers the sport has ever seen in Patrick Janssens.
Mickys Barrett continues to run out of his skin for Nottingham trainer Jason Gray and who’s to say he can’t pull off what would be a dream for his loyal band of owners by reaching the final. Whilst there isn’t much left that can be said about iron dog Faughan Rebel who has been handled superbly by Richard Yeates and his team throughout a remarkable career. Though opposed it’s not done so lightly and a place in next week’s final could well be in the stars for a greyhound who has been one of the most popular in training for quite some time.
Semi-final two can go to Peter Cronin’s Kildare. A young and inexperienced greyhound what Kildare has done on the track is pretty much all there on the card. Held up in his career early on the timing of his comeback almost fell perfectly with connections putting him into the Con & Anne Kirby Memorial at Limerick without a single race on his card. Supported for the event at all odds from 100/1 down he made the final to land the place part of the punt but a missed break and trouble at the turn saw his chances of victory ended at an early stage.
That said the run in third place behind Swords Rex was eye catching and was enough to convince trainer Peter Cronin and his owner Aidan Comerford to take a tilt at the English Derby. The slow track on third round night was totally against this young dog and he took some preparing by his trainer to have him right again for the quarter final so the run in second behind the track record setting Priceless Jet can be upgraded somewhat with a much fresher greyhound anticipated this evening. Perfectly housed Kildare is fancied to smash out and make all just as he did in the semi-final of the Kirby back in April.
Hello Hammond for Paul Hennesy looks to have a perfect draw against the rail where he can just take his time in behind before unleashing his customary strong late run from the third bend home. He can comfortably qualify in second place. The race for third looks to be very competitive. Patrick Janssen’s Lautaro will need to be lively from the traps if he’s to put himself into a qualifying position, he’s a chance of doing just that but he’ll be challenged at all corners by Paul Hennesy’s Priceless Jet, Kevin Hutton’s Coppice Fox and of course Seamus Cahill’s Make Noise. This is a race which could well provide many hard luck stories with fortunes likely to change at regular intervals until the last greyhound has crossed the line.
Heat one of the Original Foods Dorando looks there for the taking for Diane Henry’s Savana Volcano. She’s head and shoulders above this level of opposition and though she’ll improve for a run or two there should be no excuses. Anthony Gifkins Burgess Hannah is likely to be short in the without the favourite markets but she folded tamely after laying handily in a course and distance open last time out. She will need to improve massively on that but with little else worthy of consideration and with all things considered this may well be a race to take a breather and watch rather than getting involved in from a punting perspective.
Heat two of the Original Foods Dorando where Matt Dartnall’s superstar marathon performer Space Jet looks a formality to win. Likely to be prohibitively priced to all bar those with the deepest of pockets she should run out an easy winner. Those looking for something to fill the forecast spot at what should be decent odds could well do worse than include Peter Harnden’s Savana Honey. Catching the eye running on strongly in a number of six bend races she could well find that this distance gets her into contention a lot earlier than has at times been the case. It’s a step up in class but at the likely odds she’s worth including to follow the selection home.
The www.greyhoundtrader.com Stakes runs for the second consecutive year as the newly established sales company look to put something back into the game. The event which is confined to greyhounds sold at either their track or online sales or privately organised sales begins with heat one at 904pm. Chris Hamblin’s Zazzeras Jack might well find that he’s been sharpened up nicely with a run around Swindon since being eliminated from the Derby at the second-round stage. He’s usually kept good class company and has often performed with huge credit and is likely to offer much more in the way of value to his main rival Antigua Sugar. It’s also a step down in class for Mark Wallis’s runner and connections will rightfully be disappointed if she can’t oblige but on value grounds the selection is Jack to land the Hamblin team a memorable success.
Heat two and the final race on a super card can go to Alison Kelly-Pilgrim’s Deanridge Skippy. He was showing plenty of early zip in the build up to the Derby itself and won well in the first round before folding tamely with a second round elimination when showing absolutely zero. He was far from at his best when subsequently eliminated from the Puppy Cup last week but if he’s anything like back to his usual self this really is a race which he should lead easily and overcome a draw wider than he’d really like. Skippy to pop out and make every yard.
