Embers Fury, unbeaten in the competition and something of a revelation since plying his trade in some red-hot races at Swindon recently, has the perfect make-up to take the final of the Calne Racing Arc on Wednesday night at the Abbey Stadium. The £8000 Category One decider, due off at 21.08, is the centrepiece of an 11 race card, eight of which will be aired on Sky Sports 3 from 19.00. As one of two major competitions to be held at Swindon, The Arc ranks as the highlight of the year for the Wiltshire venue, their Cheltenham festival, not least because of the additional focus that the Sky Cameras add, which allows for a broader audience to witness the canine action that is a staple for any betting shop regular.
An amazing supporting card aside, the final itself is a high quality affair with Embers Fury having somehow slipped under the radar on his path to being crowned the champ. His reward, however, for consistency and improved performances throughout, despite circumstances and even race conditions contriving to make things very tough in the preliminaries, is that he is the only railer in the field and has, of course, drawn the perfect pitch in Trap 1. You can expect to see fireworks from the off, as Embers Fury has blistering early pace and it’s his ability to get out in front so early that will put him in good stead to take the spoils.
The remainder of a stellar field, consisting of the 2015 Racing Post Juvenile winner Ballymac Brogan, British Bred Derby winner King Alley, Nottingham Puppy Classic winner Crossfield Cesar and major competition finalists Taranis Bolt and Queen Asia, may all have to jostle for position in behind the Paul Sallis trained fancy and, although the selection didn’t record the fastest time in the semi-finals, it’s very hard to pick another greyhound to escape the pack and hunt him down. Victory would mean a second Arc for Sallis, who trained 2010 winner Farloe Titan and also the runner-up, so he certainly knows how to get a dog right on the night and, so far, Embers Fury hasn’t put a paw wrong.
In the build up to the main event there are seven high quality supporting races that will also feature on the Sky Sports show. Domino Storm in the opener at 19.11 and Ballybee Brewery in the sprint at 19.26 have wonderful opportunities to showcase their top-class ability, before the 2015 St Leger hero later makes an appearance in an extended six-bend contest at 19.59. The action keeps on flowing, with numerous track-record holders and competition winners on show, culminating in the final at 21.08.
