As we head into the final days before the first round of the Star Sports Bookmakers & ARC English Greyhound Derby, a small but fairly select field of greyhounds put the final preparations to their forthcoming campaigns.
On a track officially rated normal fastest of the session honours fell to Angela Harrison’s Coolavanny Bani. Breeding doesn’t come much better, a daughter of Droopys Sydney out of the prolific open race producing superstar brood Toms Delight, Bani was sent off a short priced favourite for the Angel Of The North final at home track Newcastle at the end of July.
Though narrowly coming off second best in a terrific buckle between herself and the bitch which she competed against, Waltham Magic, Bani lost nothing in defeat. Sent off odds on for her heat of the Three Steps To Victory at Sheffield recently she won well enough without looking at anywhere near her best form.
Subsequently withdrawn from her semi final engagement there at Sheffield this was Bani’s first outing since and what a performance. Trapping just about level with the aforementioned Magic, Bani soon showed much the superior pace to the bend, feeling her way around the first two bends somewhat on what was her first look at the track she still had three lengths in hand of Magic as they headed onto the backstraight.
The advantage more than doubled by the finish and at least that still by the time they reached the pick up. Stopping the clock in 29.53 off a 500 dead sectional was some effort from a bitch who suggested there was still plenty left to come.
Next best at the session fell to Dave Mullins wide seeded Troy Firebird. He ran well in recording 29.56 beating off ex Nottingham grader Piemans King by 6 3/4 lengths as opposed to the 4 3/4 he’d beaten him by at last Wednesday session. Firebird run the track well, moving in swiftly to a rails position at the first opportunity and running the bends well.
Mark Wallis’s Antigua Romeo has fast become a bit of a forgotten greyhound. A hugely pacey individual who seems to have gone under the radar a little to say the least in recent times. Though beaten in heat and final of the Guys & Dolls at Romford recently, he run well in defeat on both occasions but particularly so in his heat. His 29.58 here showed that he’s heading into the Derby in good condition and maybe he’s just appearing back on the radar at just the right time.
John ‘Ginger’ McGee wouldn’t be traveling over with greyhounds from Ireland unless he felt they fully warranted lining up in the Derby and he looks to have brought a talented team with him.
Catunda Logan has kept very good company on Irish shores, winning on both the first and second rounds of the Irish Derby recently he was then eliminated at the third round stage behind Good Name That. Logan showed plenty of early dash here, hitting the line first time in 500 dead and 29.86 overall.
He ran the track well and with plenty more to come it was a very pleasing effort. John also trialled brother and sister pairing Swanley Chick and Swanley Flight. This was Chick’s third look at the track having trialled here once pre lock down she then recorded 30.26 here last Wednesday. Despite charging the traps shortly before lid rise in this trial she soon regained her composure to outpace her brother throughout and eventually beat him off by 5 1/4 lengths in 29.94. Extending this all the way to the pick up against Flight who appeared to cramp in the latter stages. He will need to improve and rapidly as he lines up in probably the hottest heat of the first round on Saturday night.
Velvet Juliet who highlighted her class when winning the Sunderland Classic in 2019 has been very lightly raced in recent times. She stopped the clock in an excellent 29.88 off the back of a 514 split.
Kilara Icon meanwhile, a finalist in the Irish Derby just over a week ago trialled in 29.81 off a 513 sectional. New trainer Peter Harnden said: “He’s settled in really well, we’d give him a 255m solo last Thursday just to get him qualified for the competition in time but in honesty he’d have done just as much on the gallop at home. He’s a dog I’m told thrives on his work so he’d have needed this run to put him right for his heat on Saturday night. It’s an excellent race, probably the heat of the first round but he’s heading into it now in good form with himself and I’m sure he’ll do owner Gary Hick’s proud”.
Mark Wallis’s Hopes Doggy followed up on his 29.56 trial from last week in recording 29.67 here, he did all his best work in the latter stages and is a young improving type who has attracted support in the market over the past week.
Piemans Typhoon (ex Twins Azzaro) moved well throughout in his trial recording 29.73 off a 5.10 sectional. Slow starts have proved this dogs downfall since stepping up into all aged company early this year, he isn’t the best in company and whether he can improve upon this time under race conditions remains questionable.
There is no more dedicated trainer in the UK than Scotland’s Gary Ferguson. Putting in the motorway miles week after week, month after month he brought down his two Derby entries for a trial Pennys Fuinseog and Paradise McIlroy as well as new purchase and reserve for the competition Walk On Mo. In a competitive trial Fuinseog beat off McIlroy by a head in 3012 with Mo a further 3 3/4 back in third.
