The Matchbook Betting Exchange Maiden Derby gets underway with eight superb first round heats this afternoon at Towcester racecourse. The inaugural running of the competition sponsored by KAB was won by the Patrick Janssens trained Thorn Falcon. Owned by Mark Harrison and Keith Allsop the February 2019 whelp came into last year’s event with just the sole but successful race on his card when running out an impressive winner on Irish soil around Enniscorthy. Going unbeaten throughout the competition Thorn Falcon would of course fulfil a lifetime ambition for connections when winning the Star Sports Bookmakers sponsored English Greyhound Derby Final. The success of last year’s competition gave betting exchange Matchbook all of the encouragement that they needed to dip their toe into greyhound racing sponsorship here in the UK. Last year’s £7500 winner’s prize has this year been increased to £10000 by Matchbook and Aidan O’Sullivan communications manager at the betting exchange firm told me “At matchbook we are delighted to partner with Towcester racecourse as the title sponsor of the Maiden Derby. The high volume of entries only further highlights this events potential and we’ve seen some sharp punters getting involved in our outright market. Our greyhound market makers opened Coolavanny Shadow at 3.75 however this lasted just minutes as support saw him shortened into 3.5. At the time of writing this was still a market-leading price , further illustrating the competitive greyhound pricing available on site. We urge anybody searching for value on their bets to check out Matchbook.com”.
All eight heats are run under the Matchbook Betting Exchange Maiden Derby title and we get underway with heat 1 at 157pm. Kevin Hutton’s lightly raced Coppice Brewer looks well drawn on the wide outside and has already shown his liking for this venue with two wide margin graded successes here. A ten-length success in A5 company was followed just a couple of weeks later with a 10 1/4 length A4 romp when stopping the clock in a superb 2930 (+30). A young greyhound obviously far ahead of the grader his next two appearances have come at open level when beaten here in maiden company and when eliminated from the Puppy Derby at the first-round stage early in March. Trialled over course and distance here since with this competition obviously in mind he’s been moving well with trial times in the past two weeks with a 2972 normal effort followed up last time with a 2999 on going rated 20 slow. With a break he should have the legs early of Nathan Hunt’s Antigua Bluey who looks sure to move middle early also granting him a fair amount of space on the middle to wide of the track with which to utilise his pace. If taking the lead at the first turn Brewer can soon open up what should quickly become an unassailable lead.
Heat 2 at 212pm can go the way of Kevin Boon’s Farneys Maestro. Just an August 2020 pup he ran out a facile 10 1/2 length winner of an admittedly low grade A7 race around Limerick in mid-February in a decent 2888 on just his second career start. Purchased by the shrewd Boon kennel with this competition in mind he’s been extremely well prepared over the past weeks with a number of course and distance trials which have been improving in nature with each passing week. Showing plenty of early zip Maestro posted a best yet of 2970 -20 last time out. Rapidly improving into a very nice type he looks ideally drawn against the rail here and can make every post a winning one. Crossfield Lexi has had to play second fiddle in each of her last 3 trials but those runs have come against ante post favourite for this competition and one of the most talked about greyhounds for sometime in the shape of kennel mate Coolavanny Shadow. Lexi can run on for second for Patrick Janssens and looks another hugely talented greyhound for the Derby winning trainer that should more than be paying her way this year.
Brendan Matthews and his team have long been regular visitors to the UK and once again head across the Irish sea with their well-regarded Wide Open looking to overcome lack of course experience in heat 3 at 232pm. Making her career debut when eliminated from the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial at Limerick recently at the first-round stage she soon got off the mark with an impressive 2 length A2 success around Shelbourne Park in 2888. All of her best work was saved for the latter half of the race with the winning distance having been multiplied many times by the time she reached the pick-up. A few envious eyes have taken note of this bitches’ performances to date with numerous enquiries for her availability so far at least rebuffed. Wide Open will need to be sharp enough at the lids in order to put herself into a decent position heading along the back straight but she could easily have been lining up in a tougher field than she faces here. Lee Fields Milton King can give the selection most to think about so long as he manages to clear the pacey but so far frustrating Havana Robusto drawn to his immediate inside.
Heat 4 at 252pm can go to Liz McNair’s Havana Lover who has been kept back for this competition since being eliminated from the Northern Puppy Derby at Newcastle at the semi-final stage. That looks to have been a sensible move by connections with a 2978 normal trial here two weeks ago followed up last week with a sensational 2942 -20 effort. Pat Curtin’s Olga could get first run on the selection but class should tell with Lover turning behind in a very menacing position. The race should be sealed by the third bend with McNair’s bitch stretching away for a comfortable success.
Very rarely does a greyhound create as much talk about their potential as Patrick Janssens Coolavanny Shadow has without having ran a competitive race here in the UK. Purchased for huge money after a runaway 2818 success around Tralee in mid-February the competition won by kennel mate and subsequent English Greyhound Derby winner Thorn Falcon has been the target ever since. Brought along steadily with 3 sprint trials here the last of which in a superb 1553 normal he stopped the clock last week on his first try over todays 500m course and distance in a quite sensational 2934 -20. At the time of writing Shadow is trading at just shy of 5/2 on the Matchbook betting exchange in the ante post market and is even shorter with the firms who have priced the event up. Unopposable here he’ll likely be sent off at odds prohibitive to all bar those with deepest of pockets. Heat 5 at 311pm is a race to simply watch and enjoy as potentially one of the sport’s biggest ever superstars’ sets out on a UK career with the world at his feet.
A much more competitive heat 6 at 328pm can go the way of Kevin Hutton’s well drawn Coppice Fox. Winning his sole two graded starts here at Towcester both coming in A1 company Fox subsequently targeted the Monmore Puppy Derby where he was somewhat unluckily eliminated at the semi-final stage in third place. Targeted at this competition since then trials over the past couple of weeks of 2960 normal and 2976 -20 off the back of 417 and 422 splits respectively mark him out as the greyhound to beat in this first round heat. Diane Henry’s Savana Beau has a huge engine and has been showcasing great middle and finishing pace here in trials but may just find that the selection has a little bit too much early pace for him to deal with and that can prove decisive.
The penultimate heat of the first-round see’s the greyhounds head to traps for heat 7 at 348pm can go to John Mullins promising October 2020 pup Swift Iconic. Just the two runs on his card both have which have come over the sprint trip here at Towcester and both have resulted in impressive top-grade success. Iconic can smash out here from trap 3 and though he’ll undoubtedly improve for runs over the trip he can have enough in hand at the finish to hold on. Kevin Hutton’s Magical Richie is another youngster with plenty left in the locker. Just the one race on his Irish card when running out an easy winner around Clonmel in 2889 he was eliminated from the Monmore Puppy Derby at the first-round stage. He might just lack a half yard of early at the highest level at this stage of his career but is plenty young enough to improve upon that yet and from a nice draw he looks sure to progress to next week’s second round.
Heat 8 at 408pm can go to Heather Dimmock’s Peejays Forever who is well experienced compared to many of his rivals in this competition. Showing himself equally capable of winning races in A1 grade at Henlow from off the front of coming from off the pace he saw a tilt at the Monmore Puppy Derby ended at the semi-final stage. An initial first look trial around Towcester a couple of weeks ago when recording 3052 normal was improved upon massively last week with a 2989 – 20 effort when also crossing the line first time in a more than decent 414 split. He’d not be one to place too much faith in that he’d hit the lids in such fashion with regularity but in the context of this race anything like a reasonable start should soon but himself into an excellent position from which to win. Nathan Hunt’s Storys Peewee is always a greyhound who is difficult to keep out of the frame. Lacking a yard of early he’s a good engine from the second bend home and he can run on for second.
