I said several months ago that I thought that the Eden The Kid/Skate On litter would be better at three years old than two, and I am even more convinced after King Sheeran’s run at Central Park on Sunday.
It wasn’t just his winning time of 28.84, but he did his fastest ever sectional (3.18) and is looking the real deal. He has grown up and is a lot more street wise than this time last year. Of all the litter of course, he was probably the one most open to improvement because he lost months with a serious injury.
King Dylan ran well enough in third place and King Cash clocked 28.89 in a trial. He was just coming back and has only had one race since last December. King Lennon did 28.64 in a trial last week.
The one who really surprised me though was Queen Jessiej who beat King Louis last night in exactly the same time as Sheeran. At the time I thought the track was running -20 slow. You do wonder whether the racing office took one look at the time and thought, ‘it surely can’t be -20 slow’.
I have trialled booked for Hove on Saturday and can’t wait for the Sussex Cup to start. I think I am more excited than the dogs. What Ladbrokes and Corals have done putting all these races on is just magnificent.
It has been disappointing to lose so much racing but I think the break has done a lot of these dogs the world of good and I wouldn’t be surprised if it extends their racing careers. Years ago, we used to give the best dogs a break over the winter. Now with so many big races on throughout the year, they tend to stay in training. It will be interesting to see how they respond.
I have had a lot to say about the importance of staging the Derby, and I am genuinely delighted that it is taking place.
There are a few thoughts that are on my mind though, and as most people know, I am not slow about repeating them. At this stage I am waiting to read the Derby terms and conditions. What set the thought off was my boss Brendan saying the winner would get £41,000, by the time the deductions are made. I hope he’s got it wrong. It will surely be £50,000, given that there will be £24K in entry fees alone and of course Ben at Star Sports is sponsoring it, which is magnificent.
But that led me to question a few other things. Are RPGTV broadcasting all the races? If they are, how much are they contributing? That channel is sponsored by eight bookmakers, and there are only Ladbrokes/Corals who put anything back into greyhound sponsorship. I don’t know where we would be without them.
Betfair and Bet365 make a fortune from greyhound racing and haven’t had to worry about closed betting shops. When was the last time either of them sponsored a greyhound competition?
Wouldn’t this have been a great time to make a worthy gesture and a decent contribution? When you look that Betfair are matching graded races at Pelaw Grange for £25K on a Sunday night, how much will they be making on the Greyhound Derby?
We could soon be in for a baby boom with Queen Whitney due to whelp a litter in eight days time, and Queen Beyonce due two days later, both from matings to King Turbo.
Skate On is also in season and will probably be mated for the last time tomorrow. She has had three litters to date and we will be going for a repeat of the Eden The Kid litter. Her last litter were by Leamaneigh Turbo and although they are very good, they are slightly short runners. I am hoping that Big Kevin makes a big success of Towcester and I don’t think that will be a track to suit short runners.
Skate On is nearly ten years old now and in absolutely magnificent condition. She is still flying around the paddocks like a pup. At that age nature tends to take its course and if they aren’t healthy enough to produce a litter, they tend to miss. I will be surprised if Skate On does though.
Having said that, Shaws Dilemma is 12 years old now. She has just come into season, and although her breeding days are long over, it doesn’t stop wiggling her arse in front of all the young dogs.
