NOTTINGHAM’S TELEVISED CARD – BY MARK PIERREPONT

First up at 6.26pm is an A5 which can go the way of Colin Wilton’s homebred Act Of Kindness.  He’s had to work hard from behind for a dead heat in the same grade last time out but he can be a lot closer to the action this evening with a usually slow starter drawn to his inside in the shape of Salacres Armani and a dog drawn to his immediate outside in Darrens Court who will keep straight up at best maybe even moving off slightly and would be far from fluent at the turn.  Kindness can go round very handy in this race and if doing so should take all the beating.

A very competitive A3 at 6.41pm where all of the field can lay some kind of claim to taking the honours.  Dishwasher looks an interesting recruit for Jason Gray and looks more than capable of making her mark in this grade if not tonight certainly over the coming weeks.  In fact she is a three-time winner at this level over at Tralee in Ireland and on her running there she should find this testing galloping circuit of Nottingham right up her street.  She’s shown a little bit more in the early pace department than she did do on Irish soil where she was more known for coming from behind and getting there or thereabouts late on.  A six-time winner with nine runner up positions to her name from 29 career starts she’s one for the place markets especially when a fair price as she should be this evening.  In what is a tricky enough race to call the advice would be to bet her to place and to include her within any forecast bets as however the race pans out she shouldn’t be too far away at the finish.

Droopys Bargain is looking to land a hattrick and he’s the selection albeit a tentative one to take the A1 at 6.59pm.  He’s found some form over the past couple of weeks having followed up an A2 a couple of weeks ago with success in this grade last time out.  He can go up handy enough before coming through late to pick up the likely pacesetters of Kelseys Duke who won well last time out in A2 and Joes Jet whose chance relies on smashing out and getting well clear.

Speed To Burn is a bitch who will be leaving A4 grade well behind within a short space of time and is selected to do so in this 7.16pm race.  Anybody who watched her on career debut last week will have seen a bitch who possesses far too much ability to be sat in this grade for very long.  Walking out of traps she was some way behind early on in last position before gradually moving through the gears late.  Eventually beaten just 3/4 length into fourth she was over two lengths in front of her nearest rival come the pick-up and giving the impression that a stiffer test of stamina once she matures will be needed.  This race looks absolutely perfect for her with Blenheim Choice likely to be away and gone she should get plenty of space to manoeuvre early especially given that Roo Wen Too drawn in four is also likely to move off at trap rise.  If Speed To Burn can just trap in the same manner that she did in her two qualifying trials that should see her turning very handy and she’ll prove far too strong in the latter stages.

Swift Frederick looks well drawn on the wide outside to give Lynn Cook a quickfire double by taking this A4 at 7.34pm.  Dotty Dot drawn to his immediate inside will be no hassle early on whilst Tele Boy for Peter Harnden will also likely be looking to move inside from his trap 4 berth.  Frederick can pace up well hitting the front by the second turn and have enough in hand to hold off the stronger runners in the latter stages.

The first heat of the Category One BGBF British Breeders Stakes at 7.51pm and though Queen Jessiej lacks a trial due to being engaged in the Winter Derby at Monmore in recent weeks up to and including when sent off favourite for the final last weekend when finishing in fourth place beaten just over five lengths by Signet Mafia she should prove far too good for rivals which with all due respect aren’t at the same level if she runs to anything like her best form.  Fairways Flyer may have been of interest so far as the forecast slot goes but he’s now not been sighted either competitively or under trial conditions since the 8th February.  That will be fully 4 weeks since he was last seen on the track and for a kennel more than adept at preparing their greyhounds for races and competitions through the trial process that has to be of concern.

Heat two at 8.06pm can go the way of Angie Kibble’s Emotional.  There’s no doubting she is better over a tougher test of stamina and though beaten behind the reopposing Penniment Milo last week in a trial stakes for this competition she looked in need of the look around having only once been around the circuit previously back in October of last year.  This race could be run to suit with Milo likely to find Liberty Belle for company at some stage and with the race likely to then get held up on the inside it can be left to Emotional to swoop late and fast to take the honours.

Heat three is a tricky race to call complicated by the fact that Lights Out a finalist in the Property 192 Oaks at the back end of 2020 comes into the race at nine weeks through season.  A talented bitch but also one it has to be noted was marked awkward early on in her career.  Despite the reservations it would be no surprise to see her go well from a fair looking draw on the rail with Only You likely to move off at the turn.  The selection though is King Axle for Liz and Rab McNair to gain just the fourth win of his career albeit from just 16 races.  He’s a talented sort when things fall right and though he’s going to have to be lively at the traps in order to make the turn ahead of Only You he’s fancied to do so.

Heat four can go to the Mark Wallis trained Agincourt Xena who though lacking a recent look around has some high-class form over course and distance including when winning the final of the Westmead Legacy In Memory Of Natalie Savva here on English Derby Final night at the end of October 2020 in 29.69 normal.  Xena is a talented sort when getting on the bunny and can get the better of Queen Dolly who has trialled well here over the past two weeks.  Supporters of likely favourite Dolly will have a certain amount of concern to see Afan Hunkster drawn inside her.  A confirmed wide seed at home track Monmore Hunkster does run more middle than wide here at Nottingham though to see him lining up in this competition totally unseeded has to be of concern even if on this occasion luck sees him drawn not too badly.

Heat five looks set to go the way of Patricia Cowdrill’s 2020 BGBF British Bred Derby winner Elderberry Sky.  He was flawless when going unbeaten through three rounds of that competition at Sheffield in December and though he’s likely to need a couple of runs post comeback on what is his first competitive start since last week’s trial here should have sharpened him up enough to take the spoils.  He did record a flying calculated trial of 1498 in a recent Monmore sprint (track record set in 2007 14.95 Jetharts Here) although there does need to be a note of caution added to that in that the run was achieved on 60 slow for the sprint trip alone.  King Louis is no back number and can keep the selection honest throughout and fill the forecast spot.

Heat six can go to Kevin Ferguson’s Acomb Jenny who though likely to improve for a couple of runs after a short absence does have a terrific draw to work from where she should receive plenty of space to run up the middle of the track.  Jenny is a classy sort who ran out an impressive winner of the inaugural BGBF British Bred Maiden at Newcastle in October last year whilst finishing fourth when sent off favourite for the final of the Natalie Savva final on English Derby Final night here.  Plaza Matty was recently sold by leading Nottingham owner Ged Costello and heads into this competition under new ownership.  He’s likely to head rails from trap 3 and though Screen Dancer has put in one or two good performances from poor draws lately her run last week was below par.  Amka Rofe looks sure to be short enough in the betting after taking a tumble over hurdles last time out and comes here without having trialled since.