A full open race card at Towcester racecourse this afternoon where the once again rescheduled second round heats of the RPGTV English Puppy Derby take centre stage. There are supporting open races over a variety of distances including a couple of trial stakes for the forthcoming Blue Riband. The card is previewed by Mark Pierrepont –
The competition is still wide open and gets underway with heat one at 205pm. David Mullins Romeo Hotshot was simply sensational when winning his first-round heat in a fastest of the first round 29.41. After missing his break badly he looked in an unpromising early position in behind the well supported Irish raider Undulation. He showed phenomenal early and middle gears though and taking full advantage of a gap left rails side as they headed along the back straight he soon had matters fully in control.
The move to trap 4 today from last week’s trap 5 will be beneficial but there has to be serious concerns about him clearing the early paced Frank Gray duo of Makeit The Bear and Makeitkingsydney drawn in traps 1 and 3 respectively. In my view this is a race to watch and enjoy with Hotshot looking like being one of the most promising pups in the UK but at the likely price and with such pace inside him it’s a race I’d rather let him win that get involved in from a financial point of view.
The aforementioned UNDULATION trained by the Newry maestro Brendan Matthews lines up in heat two at 226pm. It was initially a little disappointing to see her beaten once leading up in last week’s first round but there were two major points of note that marked the performance up. The time was the major factor in that she was beaten just 3 ¼ lengths behind the afternoon’s fastest performer of the day in Romeo Hotshot but the second factor being that she left most of the distance on the track on what was her first look at the circuit. This isn’t an easy race by any means with amongst others Angie Kibble’s hugely talented Ballymac Mags in opposition. Undulation is once again well drawn however and a similar break this week from her trap 3 berth should see her leading up and an anticipated improvement in her bend running should see that turned into a lead which isn’t relinquished.
Patrick Janssens ROMEO COMMAND made it 3 wins from 3 UK starts when just about getting up to take his first-round heat last week. After a slow start and initially not finding any kind of stride early he then took off into the first bend before encountering crowding. Showing fair balance for a young dog he got himself into a lovely position heading onto the back straight in behind Seamus Cahill’s My Girl Mia.
In honesty he made fairly heavy work of reeling in that rival but he did so in a more than decent 29.54. He looks all set to turn in a similar position today to the same rival and the result can be a similar one. Command to win and a small bet on the forecast in heat 3 at 246pm.
I had originally selected Robert Holt’s Trickys Whist to get clear and hang on in this fourth and final second round heat at 306pm but the race has changed dramatically with half of the field withdrawn. Whist should get clear but his problem is that his main rival KING EZRA is now guaranteed a clear run at him whilst Coordination is also likely to benefit hugely from a clearer sight at the lead. Ezra has to be the selection to land the spoils for Liz McNair but don’t be surprised to see the Irish raider trained by Brendan Matthews put up a much improved showing.
