The Stadium Bookmakers Hunt Cup Semi Finals take place at Towcester racecourse this afternoon as each of the remaining particpants aim to qualify through to next week’s £10,000 to the winner Category One Final. We also see the opening heats of the BGBF Greyhound Stud Book Trophy and Liz Mort of the Greyhound Stud Book said “With both my BGBF and my Greyhound Stud Book hats on, I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to revive the Greyhound Stud Book Trophy this year, in collaboration with the BGBF. It was an annual feature for many years, and we hope it will become so again, so that trainers and owners can plan it into their work. We have upgraded – it was always a Cat 3, but we have been able to make it a Cat 2 this time and I hope trainers, owners and breeders will appreciate the extra funding we have been able to put in. Towcester is a great venue for it, too. We’d all like to wish good luck to all the dogs taking part, and their connections, and look forward to the final in two weeks’ time!”. The card is previewed in full by Mark Pierrepont –
Heat 1 of the BGBF Greyhound Studbook Trophy at 157pm looks a matchup between Kevin Hutton’s litter brothers Signet Otis and SIGNET DENVER. There isn’t much between this hugely exciting early paced pair as their track record breaking competition throughout the recent Produce Stakes highlighted. Otis set a new track record of 2775 in the first round of the Produce only to see his litter brother Denver equal it in the next round. In the very next race however Otis said anything you can do I’ll do it again as he stopped the clock in an identical time and once again equalling his own record. With both brothers flawless so far they both won again in their semi-final engagements however this time around it was Denver who took the clock for himself with a quite stunning 2769 run. This went a little towards establishing him as favourite for the final however at 13/8 and 7/4 there was little between the pair. It was Denver though who flew from traps and made all in a time just 1 spot slower than his previous week’s record. Sensational running and though on this occasion after a slow start and early trouble Otis finished down the field there remains little between this talented pair of siblings. I’m going to side with Denver to just get the upper hand of Otis but if both come away we could be in for a real treat of a race in the very first heat.
Semi Final 1 of the Stadium Bookmakers Hunt Cup at 212pm can go to Frank Bryce’s BAGGIOS CHAMP who has definitely had his chances improved dramatically after the unfortunate withdrawal through injury of John Mullin’s heat winner Callmesteve. This is a much tougher race for Champ with amongst others the recent St Leger Champion Havana Lover in opposition however with any kind of break he can dominate by the turn and hold off the strong late challenge of the aforementioned Lover. Though qualifying in third last week Lover wasn’t at her best by any means and will have to improve upon that effort if she’s to get the better of Bryce’s talented Champ. After a slow start in a race he was well fancied for and supported as such in the market Amaze Me Seb came there full of running at the third bend but found trouble he possibly should have avoided and then folded relatively tamely to finish second behind the improving Roxholme Duchess. Seb is better than that showing but will need to put himself into contention a little sooner in against this class of opposition if he’s to qualify through to next week’s final.
Heat 2 of the BGBF Greyhound Studbook Trophy at 232pm can go to Kim Gooding’s SHOCKWAVE ONYX who has been in flying form around here over the past couple of weeks and can take this to complete an open race hattrick. He’ll need to come away if he’s to hold his rails position but if doing so he should prove too good for his rivals. If he did miss the kick on the inside then he could well be given most to do from his Nottingham based rival Wolf Moon trained by Jill Llewellin. He’s been improving nicely at Nottingham and trialled well here last week. He is drawn a little wider than he’d ideally like in trap 5 but any trouble on the inside could see him turning in a nice position. Onyx is the play but a small reverse forecast saver on the pair wouldn’t be the worst bits of advice.
Semi Final 2 of the Stadium Bookmakers Hunt Cup at 252pm and it’s difficult to oppose the fast-improving ROXHOLME DUCHESS who comes into this having won all 3 of her UK starts since arriving at the kennel of Kevin Hutton. She’s a good attitude and has obviously benefited greatly from the step up in trip since arriving on these shores. Duchess will be difficult to beat although on value grounds it could well be worth having a small saver at least on Chelms Cub who looked like landing the spoils in his heat last week for Jason Heath only to be collared late on by Callmesteve.
Heat 3 of the BGBF Greyhound Studbook Trophy at 311pm is a tricky enough race to solve and the market will likely back that assessment up. Patrick Janssens FABULOUS LYNX is drawn a little nearer the rail than ideal but any kind of break and she should be able to secure what could quickly turn into a very cheap lead. Lynx is a proven winner over course and distance and anything like he winning run of 2978 from early in September should be plenty good enough to land this. Richard Devenish’s Glatton Gianni is another who acts well around here and he’ll immediately become a big player if he manages to clear the selection by the bend.
A Stadium Bookmakers Maiden over 500m at 328pm and this looks a good opportunity for Stephen Fletchers strong running Henlow A1 winner MAKE SOME NOISE to win in open class for the first time. The step up to 500m should suit well and though off the card competitively since the end of July he’s trialled back well over both the sprint and 500m trips here at Towcester over the past couple of weeks. In a very winnable event he’s selected to lay handy enough before coming through with a strong late run to land the spoils.
A Stadium Bookmakers Standard over 500m at 348pm and it will be a little disappointing is SAVANA SCRAPPY doesn’t take full advantage of a plot draw against the rail. A talented sort over both 4 and 6 bends and though off the card since late May his comeback trials have been very good. He lacks a little bit of early toe in against the cream of 4 bend runners but this is a race where he should lay handy at worst on the inside and his race freshness could also prove beneficial from that aspect too. Scrappy to have matters in hand by the third turn and use this race as a springboard to get his career back on track for Diane Henry.
The second of the afternoon’s Stadium Bookmakers Maiden’s over 500m at 408pm. It will be surprising if this race throws up much in the way of future open race success with most of these largely exposed as higher-grade sorts who will do well to progress beyond the maiden level in which they line up here. Wigan based trainer Gary Griffiths SILVERSPRING SUE is the youngest in the field at March 2021 and she is the one who might just go on to better things. Lightly raced she’s already got a 2888 win on the card around Shelbourne Park and her Monmore trials since arriving over here have been promising. Sue does lack a look around which is far from ideal around the wide-open Towcester circuit which can sometimes catch greyhounds out , especially younger inexperienced ones however this really is a race in which she shouldn’t fail to be too far away.
The second Stadium Bookmakers Standard’s over 500m at 428pm can provide Diane Henry with a double on the day as her Derby Finalist SAVANA BEAU can land the spoils. He’s enjoyed mixed fortunes since stepping up in trip to 6 bends and though that sphere still holds plenty for him in the future this is a course and distance around which he has proven to excel. There will unlikely be any juice in the price but he’ll take a fair amount of beating given anything in the way of a clean run to the second turn. If in contention heading into half way he’ll prove very tough to hold.
The third Stadium Bookmakers Maiden of the afternoon over 500m at 448pm. Paul Young’s DROOPYS SOLUTION has been gaining plenty of experience around his home track of Romford since trialling and competing in a couple of maidens around here at the start of the year and we should be seeing a much wiser and experienced greyhound now he returns. He posted a couple of decent times around here back then of 1592 for the sprint and 3007 calc over this trip. It wouldn’t take much more than that to win this today but if he’s come on over the past months and it’s very likely he has done then he should be well capable of landing this from what looks a fair draw on the wide outside.
Stadium Bookmakers Sprint over 270m at 508pm can go to Kim Gooding’s SHOCKWAVE ZIRCOM and give the Nottingham based trainer a double on the day. He’s proven himself well at home over this course and distance in recent weeks and this race isn’t as good as some which he’s been lining up in with good success. He’s not usually perfectly away by any means but in this race he probably doesn’t have to be. There is fair early on his outside in the shape of Patrick Janssens Blue Bernie but a level enough start should see him turning very handy at worst to that rival at the turn and even if marginally behind as they round the bend he should have enough about him to come through strongly on the run for home.
The fourth Stadium Bookmakers Maiden of the afternoon over the 500m trip can go to Richard Yeates Hove raider WORK THE HEAD. He’s a very likeable sort with a great attitude to his racing and though his future career looks to be over a sterner test of stamina than he faces here today he can take this before moving on to bigger and better things. Laurence Tuffin’s local Romeo Sportstar is well drawn on the rail but has been finding one too good in top grade here regularly over the past few weeks and that can be the same again today. He does however look a solid bet in the place market if the price isn’t too restrictive.
The third of the afternoon’s Stadium Bookmakers Standard’s over 500m at 544pm and a solid opportunity from a nice make up against the rail for Paul Young’s JEOPARDY DAWG. He’s already a 3-time winner over course and distance and can extend that record to 4 with victory here. Steve Rayner’s Sawdust Hondo was a good winner after a missed break in top grade here last time and can give the selection most to think about.
The final race of the day is a Stadium Bookmakers Stayers event over 712m which can go to Diane Henry’s SAVANA VOLCANO. This trip is undoubtedly short of his optimum but is serving it’s purpose as he returns to full fitness after a lay off. He’s looked to be a good deal sharper in his outings over the past few weeks than his likely main market rival Antigua Lava did last week when finishing well beat behind Baggio’s Champ in a heat of the Hunt Cup. To say the run from Lava was flat would be an understatement and though there is plenty of room to argue she’d have needed the run on what was her first competitive start since early April you would have liked to have seen a little bit more spark from her before contemplating any involvement here from a betting point of view.
