Hunt Cup Heats Plus Supporting Card Preview and Full Form

Originally advertised for 36 runners the competition has been streamlined to 4 heats with the first 3 from each progressing through to next week’s semi-finals.  Though slimmed down the competition simply oozes class throughout and with a full supporting card of opens the afternoon is something enthusiasts of the sport will really be looking forward to.  The card is previewed in full.

It’s straight into Hunt Cup action with heat 1 at 157pm and looks between Kevin Hutton’s Roxholme Duchess and Richard Rees Amaze Me Seb.  The latter always looked a top-class stayer in the making in his early races over 4 bends including when running some very eye-catching performances against high class opposition before the Derby started and was fancied by a few fair judges to go deep into the competition with his running on style.  A below par effort saw him eliminated as early as the second round however.  After stepping up in trip Seb landed a heat of the Ladbrokes Summer Stayers Classic at Monmore before going on to reach the final and performed to a very high level when eliminated in the worst possible placing of third in the semi-final of the St Leger at Perry Barr behind eventual competition winner Havana Lover.  Seb is a very high-class sort who acts well around Towcester and with the benefit of trap 4 being vacant alongside him he rates a fair wager to get punters off to the best possible start this afternoon.  The aforementioned Roxholme Duchess had quite a lengthy mid-grade career whilst competing in Ireland before heading over to UK shores to embark on a staying career.  Two runs over the 6-bend trip at Swindon have yielded 2 victories with maiden success swiftly followed up with an improved effort in at full open level.  Her sprint trial here was also fair enough for a sprinter too so she does have every chance of progressing nicely now that she’s obviously running over a much more suitable trip but it will be somewhat disappointing for supporters of Seb if at this stage of their careers at least he doesn’t have her measure.

Heat 2 at 211pm can go to Frank Bryce’s Baggios Champ who has always mixed it at a high level both over 4 bends and latterly over 6.  A Produce Stakes finalist over 4 bends in 2021 he more recently reached the final of the Regency down at Hove before finishing runner up in the Select Stayers at Nottingham.  Never far away no matter what the class of opposition this is an excellent opportunity from a very fair make up against the rail to add to his 8 previous successes at open race level.  Mark Wallis’s Antigua Lava is no doubt better over a sterner test of stamina and will no doubt improve for a few runs on her return to the track after a spell off the card lame but she looks the obvious selection to chase Baggio’s Champ home and fill the forecast spot.  Laurence Tuffin’s Romeo Pilot was under consideration for that position however he’s had a short spell off the card with cough and his comeback sprint trial was very moderate indicating he may just need a few runs to get back to peak fitness.

Liz McNair’s Havana Lover has looked simply sensational since stepping up in trip , indeed she looked pretty sensational on the majority of occasions over 4 bends too and though eliminated from the Summer Stayers Classic at the second-round stage when well fancied for outright honours she soon put that behind her with a superb unbeaten run through the St Leger at Perry Barr.  Lover had to battle a little come the final but that’s no bad thing to see in a bitch that also oozes class and she can get her Hunt Cup campaign off to the best possible start.  Diane Henry’s Savana Volcano ran on gamely as is her style in the final of the aforementioned St Leger only failing to get there by a diminishing length.  It was some performance from Henry’s marathon star who was running over a trip way short of her best upon a return from injury and though that’s the case again today she shouldn’t with a run be too far away again and there will be plenty willing to support her in the forecast and place only markets in heat 3 at 232pm.

The fourth and final Hunt Cup heat at 252pm can see Jason Heath’s Chelms Cub who is vastly underrated in some quarters pull off something of a shock.  Regency finalist and more recently finished third in the stayer’s classic the St Leger is nicely drawn here and can get the better of likely race favourite Callmesteve trained by John Mullins and the recent Mitch Millward Memorial winner Blueberry Bullet trained by Mark Wallis.  With one of his better starts there’s every chance that Cub could lead round here and it’s far from inconceivable that the two likely market leaders could well come together.  Cub could be away and gone and at the likely prices rates a great bet in both the win and place markets.

A Stadium Bookmakers Maiden over 500m at 311pm and it can go to the youngest runner in the field by quite some way in the shape of Vicki Lea’s Romeo Wildcat.  A very lightly raced sort he’s been improving on the clock with each run at Monmore and when a young dog is doing that you just don’t know when the improvement will stop.  Particularly so since he’s simply not trapping at the moment and the majority of his work is being done from the halfway stage.  This dog will be leaving this type of opposition way behind in the not-too-distant future and though he’s not had a look around today’s venue the extra distance he receives here in a race that on the whole wouldn’t be any better than that which he would be lining up in at Monmore can only work in his favour.  A sensible enough start and sit handy to the third turn where he can really begin to open up and come through for a comfortable enough success in the latter stages.  He may well end up staying further but there will be plenty to be won with him over 4 bends if he can just sharpen up a little in the trapping and early pace departments.

Stadium Bookmakers Standard action over 500m at 328pm and in a tricky enough affair Alistair Scott’s local Lamorna Dora is selected to make the most of a fair draw on the wide outside.  She’ll need to find a reasonable enough break but given she does there’s every chance she should be afforded all the room in the world on the middle to outside of the track here.  The remainder of this field will likely be seeking very similar running position nearer the inside and with crowding likely and at the likely price of Dora it’s a chance worth taking that she can keep herself out of bother out wide.

The second Stadium Bookmakers Maiden of the afternoon over 500m at 348pm and one that won’t take too much winning at all.  Mark Wallis’s Energize Eclipse made very light work of winning an A3 around here recently and a similar level of performance will be more than enough to land this.  ‘Magic’ Mattie Richards looks to have the biggest danger to the selection in the shape of Into The Shadow who comes in to this off the back of a couple of graded sprint affairs having been off the card for a short while lame.  This first run back over 4 bends will no doubt bring her on but if the selection doesn’t come away as anticipated then she could well find herself at the head off affairs and in a very moderate race that could well be enough.

The sprinters are up at 408pm and Frank Gray’s pacey local Perfecto String who has tasted plenty of top-grade success aligned with a so far sole open victory in recent months over ‘course and distance’ looks well housed to smash out from one of the favourable middle boxes for this trip and make all.  Kim Gooding’s Shockwave Zircon was value for more than the half length he won by when winning here a couple of weeks ago with him having checked his stride fairly significantly approaching the line.  Last time out he run well again after a slow start and he can give the selection most to think about here.

Paul Young’s Jeopardy Dawg has won well here on both of his last 2 starts and from a good make up against the rail he can complete the hattrick in the Stadium Bookmakers standard at 428pm.  He’ll need to trap smartly which isn’t always attainable from his box but if holding his position to the turn he should soon begin to open up along the back straight.

Vicki Lea’s Kaluki can take the 500m Stadium Bookmakers standard at 448pm.  He had to play second fiddle to Shockwave Onyx here last time out but he’s capable of coming away from these boxes in much quicker style than he did on that occasion and in a race which he really should win if gaining an early lead he’s a strong selection to land the spoils.

A very open looking Stadium Bookmakers Maiden over 500m at 508pm with a number of strong running types in the field where whomever leads will automatically become very difficult to peg back.  Vicki Lea’s Dysert King is selected given that he’s also not devoid of early pace and could well secure a very cheap lead from what looks a nice draw in the blue jacket of trap 2.  If hitting the front at the first bend the shouts of the Lea camp will be heard loud and clear.

A poor-quality Stadium Bookmakers Maiden over 500m at 528pm can go to the John Mullin’s Brown Eyed Boy.  Just an April 2021 whelp he’s a potential open class performer running against a field of moderate to poor graders.  Kept confined to sprints so far by Mullins he showed up when finishing second on his debut in an admittedly poor D3 affair but took the eye with his running the pick-up.  His shrewd handler wouldn’t be stepping him up in distance and into this class if he didn’t feel he was ready and he can make light work of his opposition whilst landing a touch for connections.  I’ve heard Mattie Richards described as ‘Magic Mattie’ in these parts and never quite understood the nickname but I’ll become a fully paid-up member of the fan club if he somehow manages to have turned a young bitch in Trapstyle Titch who was performing in Romford A11 graded races just a short time ago into a Towcester open race winner.

Stadium Bookmakers standard company over 500m at 544pm can go to Mark Wallis’s Minnie Bullet.  She’s just the 1 win from 8 career starts so far but has been running well enough in defeat and can have been sweetened up nicely for this with her solo trial at Suffolk Downs.  She won’t get too many better opportunities to gain her second career win.

Sweet Talker for Mark Wallis can land the final race of the afternoon a 500m Stadium Bookmakers maiden.  Despite not trapping Sweet Talker landed a top-grade A1 affair here not too long ago and given that he is well capable of coming away and showing decent early too he’s selected to make all in what is an eminently winnable race.  Away and gone he can send the punters home happy at the end of another excellent Sunday afternoon card at the sports premier greyhound racing venue.  Top tier racing at it’s very best from Kevin and the wider Boothby family.