Crayford have confirmed the dates for the 2019 Ladbrokes Golden Jacket.
The first round of the 714m event is an evening meeting on Saturday February 9. The semi finals are a week later, but at the morning meeting. The final takes place the following Saturday, also as a morning meeting.
The prize money is identical to 2018, when won by Shotgun Bullet: Winner £17,500, second £1,250, others £500. The heats are worth £350 (others £100), with the semi winners collecting £500 (others £150).
There will be few greyhounds creating more interest than Dave Jeans’ Magical Icarus who is due to make his ‘eight bend’ debut, though he has already shown his potential over Perry Barr’s 710m.
Since switching to six bends, the powerful white and black has only been beaten once in seven outings; that being the final of the St.Leger for which he started as the 11-8f. He is rated a 14-1 chance ante post for the Jacket with the market led by Brigadier Bullet at 6-1.
The Swindon based hound has already trialled over Crayford’s four bend course clocking 23.43 (+10) ‘first look’.
Jeans said: “We deliberately gave him plenty of time to adapt to the track if he needed it. He seemed to run it okay for a 36 kilo dog, though you know a dog like him will always do a decent time in a solo.
“We are going back for an eight-bend trial on Thursday and if all goes to plan, we’ll then enter him in a trialstake the following week. We’ll then make a decision about whether to enter him.”
* In our recent track record update, we incorrectly showed Sunshine Sophie as the 540m track record holder. That record was infact broken in 2018 by Mayshighlandreel (Kinloch Brae-Mays Maska) in 33.09
