Ladbrokes Champion Hurdle Final draw is made
CRAYFORD released the trap draw for Sunday’s Ladbrokes Champion Hurdle Final today with a reminder to trainers that supporting opens close on Wednesday.
A variety of races have been advertised – a seniors race over 540m and a 540m hurdles contest included – with the finals of the £10,000-to-the-winner Ladbrokes Champion Hurdle Final and £1,000 Ladbrokes Summer Sprint Cup the showpiece events on the Sunday night card.
Last night’s semi-finals of the Ladbrokes Champion Hurdle produced huge shocks with odds-on favourites in each contest not just beaten but eliminated.
Harlequin Ernie struck in the first semi-final for six-time Champion Hurdle-winning trainer Ricky Holloway. He led into the first bend and held kennelmate Razldazl Randall by three-quarters of a length in 23.78sec (+20).
Droopys Fivestar (Allison Kelly-Pilgrim) was third here ahead of hot favourite Razldazl Barkley, who missed out on Sunday’s final in fourth having posted the fastest time in the previous week’s heats.
The second semi-final proved bittersweet for Barry O’Sullivan who saw hot favourite Traceys Sydney crowded out early but kennelmate and 33-1 chance Nunhead Shiv land a huge upset, leading up on her way to making all by three-quarters of a length in 23.86sec (+20) from always handy Dazl Hermes and Four From Two, both trained by Ricky Holloway.
It means Holloway will have four runners in Sunday’s decider in his bid to follow up last year’s success with Lenson Doolin against one apiece for Barry O’Sullivan and Allison Kelly-Pilgrim.
Darren Whitton won both heats of the Ladbrokes Summer Sprint Cup with Water Lane (23.48sec +10) and Newinn Lotto (23.44sec (+10), while the Ladbrokes.com Summer Sprint Maiden Trophy Final went to Teresa Dornan’s Ballyboy Sean in 23.47sec (+10).
Semi-Final 1 – Harlequin Ernie
Semi-final 2 – Nunhead Shiv
Trap Draws for next Sunday’s finals
Syd sets the standard in the Juvenile Classic
Towcester hosted the first round of the Genco Group Juvenile Classic on Sunday. Irish raider Syd Zafiro set a clear standard with a 28.73 success for Paul Matthews.
He is one of a September ‘22 Droopys Sydney litter out of the 2021 Irish Derby champion Susie Sapphire. Bred in the purple, he already has a 28.37 race win at Shelbourne to his credit. His inclusion in a £5,000 to the winner Category Two on these shores was hugely interesting. He has laid down the marker for the others to try and match with a performance of the week.
Droopys Extragud would go second fastest in the heats, winning in 29.02. Derby semi-finalist Droopys Pivotel was the market leader but a slow start and early trouble cost him. Heather Dimmock’s black needed no second invitation to skip clear.
A treble on the card closed out an exceptional weekend for Phil Milner. After Keefil Maverick in the Pall Mall on Saturday, Milner landed two of the six heats of the Juvenile Classic courtesy of Keefill Rocky (29.10) and Droopys Glam (29.65). Avongate Venus rounded the day off for Milner with a standard open win in a smart 29.01.
Two further heats were won by Slick Sentinel in 29.24 and Droopys Rosie in 29.31.
Heat 1 – Droopys Glam
Heat 2 – Keefill Rocky
Heat 3 – Syd Zafiro
Heat 4 – Droopys Extragud
Heat 5 – Droopys Rosie
Heat 6 – Slick Sentinel
Pall Mall semi-final draw
The three semi-finals of the BetGoodwin Pall Mall have been drawn. They will be run on Saturday, July 20.
Speed continues to be different class
Different Speed continues to dominate the sprinting scene at Valley. Kate Harrison’s charge won his 15th open of the year on Sunday morning to retake the lead as the winningest open race greyhound in 2024. He is not competing at the same level as his main rivals for the open race wins lead, but his consistency is admirable.
Twitter change
The Greyhound Star Twitter feed will be moving at the end of this week. The old account will become inactive with @greyhound_star now the handle to follow.
Opens
Thursday: Swindon
Saturday: Hove
