Trial cards for Saturday and Monday at Nottingham have now been finalised and though the anticipated first sighting of Patrick Guilfoyle’s runners has been delayed by a week, there are still a good number of top class runners having initial and refresher sighters of the Colwick Park circuit.
On Saturday John McGee Snr travels over from Ireland with his high class brother and sister pairing of Swanley Blake and Chick.
Mondays trial session as noted above had been due to see Pat Guilfoyle’s Nottingham track record holder Skywalker Logan in action alongside kennel mates Laughill Josh, Magical Comie and Muckinish. Those trials have now been put back a week until Monday 16th March.
Pat Guilfoyle said: “I just felt we were maybe a couple of gallops short and I don’t want to be heading to Nottingham unless I’m sure they’re ready. Another week and we’ll be fit and ready to go”.
Mondays’ session is far from short on talent however, Derek Law trials two unexposed but obviously talented brothers in Droopys Flick and Fox, both pencilled in to trial over the 500m Derby course.
Whilst Martinstown Band for Chris Akers is an eyecatching entry over the 305m trip. This exceptionally talented greyhound was the subject of a large antepost gamble in the months prior to last years inaugural English Derby at Nottingham, injury struck however and he was prevented from taking his chance in the competition.
Unraced since April 2019, Chris and partner and assistant Vicky Booth have put countless hours into attempting to prepare Band for a belated tilt at the competition, Nottingham is a track he excels at and Mondays sprint trial will hopefully be a step towards full fitness.
Robert Holt’s 2019 Select Stakes winner Trickys Dumbo is back for a second sprint trial in as many weeks and he will be hoping to build upon his 1771 (+20) spin from last time out prior to a planned run over the Derby trip next week.
Lee Field had intended to trial his Springbok winner Burgess Doc at the session before deciding upon a Derby campaign however Lee tells me “Doc won’t be trialling, it had been a bit of a battle to keep him sound throughout the Springbok and though we managed to pull it off, he was all wrong after the final and we’ve had to book him in to see Daniel Docherty.
“The target now is the Grand National, everything will be geared towards having him in peak condition for that event now”.
