Ratings and Analysis by Pete Walker
The first category competition of the year at Henlow is the six bend 550m distance for greyhounds that have not won an open race over 515m or further at the time of closing on Wednesday 15th February. However, it is worth £2,500 to the winner of this category two event. I have compiled comparative ratings with the top three from each race indicated below as well as the overall top four of all the semi-finalists.
1st Semi-Final
T1 (R) – 183: Blackstone Trixi
T3 (R) – 153: Blackstone Rock
T6 (W) – 123: Vinegarhill Ruby
2nd Semi-Final
T3 (R) – 158: Muchas Gracias
T4 (R) – 143: Canine Crusher
T5 (M) – 132: Greenhill Gem
3rd Semi-Final
T3 (R) – 159: My Mate Max
T4 (M) – 134: Garryglass Champ
T6 (W) – 112: Farran Smith
Top 4
(183): Blackstone Trixi
(159): My Mate Max
(158): Muchas Gracias
(153): Blackstone Rock
Ratings based on a maximum of 200 reflect only recent performances at the track and distance. There were 11 railers, 5 middle and 2 wides who qualified with three heat winners drawn in the second semi-final which looks the hardest to call, although Muchas Gracias appears to have a slight edge. The raider from Peterborough, Blackstone Trixi in trap 1 looks to have the most in hand on her rivals. She has middle to rails comments on her profile but at Henlow, the inside boxes usually have an advantage so don’t see it as an inconvenience if previous breaking has anything to go by. My Mate Max came up against the top-rated bitch in his heat but with a decent start is capable of winning the last semi-final on the card. Unfortunately at the time of assessing the races, no outright market was available so we are a little in the dark as regards recommendations. However, I hope it provides a few pointers to assist in this process. The final is on Sunday 5th March covered by RPGTV so good luck to all greyhounds and punters alike.
