The schedule may have changed a tad on Racing Post TV but Romford is still on Friday nights as before. What hasn’t changed is the top quality action supplied by the Essex venue. The twelve race card starts at 6.09pm as we are used to with nine open races amongst them – writes Rob Abrey.
As ever there are several greyhounds making their Romford debuts and going over a different distance for the first time. True to form yours truly has endeavoured to find out more about three of them.
Henlow trainer Jason Bloomfield knows what it takes to win at Romford and tonight tries his youngster Lemming Devon at Romford for the first time. In a puppies only race at 7.36pm over 400 metres the May ‘19 whelp will be looking to make it five wins from nine starts. All of her races have been at home track Henlow over 460 metres in graded races where she has an impressive strike rate of 50%. Tonight the daughter of Droopys Sydney and Lemming Boleyn travels to Essex to increase that strike rate. She has had a recent spin over C&D in a solo trial clocking 24.41 with a split of 3.89. There will be expected improvement from her tonight.
Kelli Windebank, assistant trainer to Jason on her said: “She’s a very nice puppy from a very nice litter. All the litter are pretty good. Her brother, Lemming Caesar is going to Monmore for the puppy competition. She has the start and early of them.
“We were very happy with her trial. She is very genuine, very honest and very brave. She was going through the grades nicely at Henlow. We were going to give her January off but she had different ideas so we raced her and she did her best time so far last time out.
“Trap one for her is okay, it’s not ideal. At Henlow she runs from trap two. She has matured a bit and has had a look round.”
Corals are top price 11/2 for her to win away from Henlow at the first time of asking.
Huwearsdtrousers is a Romford regular for trainer Paul Young. Followers of the graded scene there will know his name. The son of Bubbly Bluebird and Bubbly Rose has won five from nineteen in A3, A2 and A1 graded affairs. Tonight the September ‘18 whelp makes his open race debut. Not over his usual distance but over the 225 metres sprint trip. In heat one of the Romford Friday night 500 at 7.56pm he is making his sprint race debut in heat one. He had a trial over C&D last month and clocked a very good time of 13.58 showing why he has been entered for it.
Paul said: “He has plenty of pace. He is a homebred pup out of Bubbly Bluebird and Bubbly Rose. He is a very fast pup. He had a problem and was out of for a couple of months.
“He trialled over 225 metres for his first trial back and clocked 13.58. He can run. He has trap one, he may trap better from traps two or three but has his trap and draws win races. It’s a sprint and you know your fate at the traps but are hoping for a big run from him on Friday.”
On his other runners who he thinks could go well, Paul said: “Droopys Toast in the top heat. He has trap six and definitely has a chance with the make-up of the race.”
Skybet are offering 9/4 for Huwearsdtrousers to pocket the win while 9/4 is generally available for Droopys Toast to win the 6.43pm.
Ballymac Tessa goes in heat two of the sprint competition at 8.17pm for Henlow trainer Keith Robins. The August ’18 whelp is running over 225 metres for the first time but has surprisingly had a race over 575 metres as well as the 400 metre trip.
Over six bends she finished last after finding trouble at the first two bends. The daughter of Ballymac Best and Ballymac Cameo has had three sprint races early on in her career last year at Sheffield (x2) and Nottingham winning none of them. She does have early pace and when over 400 metres at Romford she finished third after early trouble.
Keith on her said: “She is all about early speed. She can be a bit hit or miss at the traps but she does have early. We haven’t seen the best of her so far as she has been running over longer trips. She needs sprints.
“For a while it looked like she would stay but it didn’t work out. When we got her from Liam Downing he told us she was a sprinter and he has been proved right. She did a very good time at Towcester over 270 metres in a trial and needs sprints.
“She’s 100% a railer so will see how she gets on from trap two. Hopefully she leads and gets on the rails. She has track and traps experience so fingers crossed.”
Several firms are top price 8/1 for her to show her potential over two bend trips.
Regular followers of this column may have had a lovely winning double last week. From three greyhounds covered, two duly obliged at SP returns of 10/3 and 9/1, paying out odds of 42/1 for the double. First to roll in was Lemming Fly trained by Michelle Brown and then Easy Eyes followed it up in the next race for trainer David Mullins.
It pays to follow this column.
