The occasions when Rab McNair struggles to find his words would make the world’s shortest list. But when the Assistant Trainer reviews the final of the ARC Kent Plate, he struggles to explain the latest ‘shock and awe’ performance from Derby ante post favourite, Fromposttopillar.
The video from the race can be found elsewhere on the site. So we decided to break it up into visual chunks.
First few strides and Hopes Paddington (T2) takes up the lead.
Crossing the winning line first time with Arkady (T6) moving to dispute the lead. Fromposttopillar (T5) back in fifth.
Second bend – still between the leading pair. Cochise (T4) has moved off and the favourite (T5) finds himself further wide
The decisive moment as Arkady (T6) cuts across Hopes Paddington (T2) at the thrid bend causing him to check (his tail swishes to keep his balance) with the eventual winner (T5) on the outside
There is only going to be one winner coming into the last bend
Winning margin eight and a half lengths from Hopes Paddington
Rab said: “In some ways I guess we were lucky. The two and the six ruffled each other up and our dog came around the outside. I was reminded a bit of Up The Junction and Ayr Flyer in the (1994) Derby Final with Moral Standards coming between them to win it. I honestly think Postie would have won it anyway, but I am obviously going to be biased. And that was a high class final, with some top top greyhounds in it.
“We have had a lot of good dogs over the years and when people say, ‘how good is he?’, I honestly don’t know. I am sure he is the fastest we have ever had. If he was a dog with average ability, I might make a prediction about how much improvement is in him. If I said how much better I thought this dog could be, I would get hammered, and a lot of people couldn’t wait to take the piss.
“But look at his record. One race in Ireland, and 12 in England. He has 10 wins and 2 seconds from those 13 races and has won three Cat One competitions.
“I can promise you that without any doubt he is some way from full fitness. That was only his third race of the year and what this dog badly needs is races, races, races.
“I was disappointed when Sunday was cancelled because he could have done with the run. And he could run again this morning. Last night has taken nothing out of him whatsoever. I call him a ‘monster’ because that is what he is.”
Rab is considering re-seeding Fromposttopillar as a ‘wide’ and reckons he could have a future over further.
He said: “I always wished I’d had the chance to try Eden The Kid over the distance, and I am pretty sure that Postie will stay one day.
“I am not trying to compare him with Some Picture, because by comparison, Postie has done nothing yet. But the way he loves to overtake on the outside and run away from the field reminds me of Charlie’s dog. I will definitely try him ‘wide’.
“I would love to think that Postie could crack on and be something special for the greyhound industry to be proud of, like a Some Picture or Hawk. But at the moment we are taking every day as it comes, enjoying every minute and doing our best not to get carried away.
“I sometimes say to Lib, ‘how can this be happening to us?’ I used to look at the Listers and Savvas and wondered what it would be like to try a dog like their best ones. But we never expected to be in that position and it’s fabulous!”
The fact that Fromposttopillar will not be among the six runners in Sunday’s RPGTV Juvenile was an easy decision for connections to make.
Rab said: “There are two reasons really and they are connected. Firstly, I would want to give him at least a couple of trials before I ran him at Towcester. I think he needs that to adapt.
“Secondly, I won’t run him there from those traps. Big Kevin has known my opinion since the beginning. I wouldn’t run him in the Blue Riband for the same reason. If he had run in that, we might have made him available for next weekend.
“But I can’t wait for the new boxes. I love the new traps at Oxford, and I wish they had the same ones on the far side, since we have three runners in stayers races tomorrow.
“But as soon as the new boxes are in at Towcester, we will be trialling our Derby team. I can’t wait.”
Apart from the Greyhound Derby, Liz and Rab’s other unfulfilled ambition is to win the TV Trophy.
Rab said: “It is quite emotional for me. It takes me back to when I was a young lad and watching it on the sofa with my dad. Harry Carpenter would introduce it, and I have never forgotten the feeling. Great memories.
“We bred the winner once, King Kane and it was fabuloous when Diane (Henry) won it with him. But I love to win it, training ourselves.”
With that in mind, Rab is lining up a greyhound with no marathon form at all, Queen Pink. A Cat One finalist over four and six bends, the furthest she has raced over to date is 650 metres at Crayford. Will she stay 874m?
Rab said: “I think she will. She was pulling away at Oxford and although I wouldn’t risk her over that distance on any track, she might just get it at Crayford.”
With a whole host of young pups already schooling and qualifying, the KSS plans continue to press on.
Derby semi finalist Queen Beyonce, whose first litter will be qualifying shortly, is heavily in whelp to Magical Bale while the British Breeders Stakes winner Queen Dolly has been covered by King Elvis.
