The Golden Sprint is here. After weeks of preparation and trial stakes the showpiece category one, £10,000 to the winner competition starts tonight at 6.43pm. Over 400 metres previous winners include Tims Crow and Blonde Snapper who both went on to reach Greyhound Derby Finals, with the latter winning it.
Thirty-six greyhounds line up tonight, vying for their name to be put alongside some illustrious names of the past. Amongst the chosen three dozen there are some returning entries aiming to get their name on the Cup. As ever yours truly has endeavoured to find out more about three of them plus another in a puppies only race – WRITES ROB ABREY.
Perry Barr trainer Lynn Short is taking on the Friday traffic from her base in the Welsh Valleys to have a tilt at the Golden Sprint with her charge Castell Stevie.
The February ’18 whelp is back at Romford for the first time since January last year. On that occasion the son of Belles Direction and Tomahurra Cloud finished fifth after first bend bother. Tonight, he is back in heat three at 7.18pm to right the wrongs of last year. Since that race the Perry Barr raider has won races at his home track in top graded company and an open at Central Park all over 480 metres. He has had two recent spins over course and distance clocking very good times of 24.24 and 23.96. The second time is the interesting one showing improvement which may continue again in race conditions.
Lynn on him said: “He is a lot better than he was last time he went to Romford. I definitely think he is better now. He is struggling to get runs at Perry Barr so thought we would try him for the Golden Sprint.
“To get to Romford for the trial sessions we had to leave at 3.30 in the morning. He is not the best traveller as he is really excitable once he gets on the van. To do those times after leaving that early was really pleasing. He has a lovely temperament everywhere else but gets excited on the van and at race tracks, he loves his racing.
“I think he will be okay dropping down to 400 metres. He just stays 480 metres. 480 is his max distance. He doesn’t always fly the traps but has early pace and is very brave at the first bend. He will stay 400 metres all day long.
“He likes trap one and has it. He takes no passengers on the inside. He rails the first bend tight. In his first trial we ran him from trap three but seemed to enjoy the inside more. He likes to be in control at the first bend.”
Paddy Power are top price 8/1 for Stevie to take his heat while several firms are 20/1 for him to take the outright spoils.
Sheffield trainer Carl Perry has two of his charges in the Golden sprint and it is his Geelo Brezza in heat four at 7.36pm that gets the ‘Round Up’ treatment.
The April ’17 whelp ran last week over course and distance and is back for a tilt at the competition. Last week the sprint specialist fluffed his lines at the starting traps and finished fifth. The son of Good News and Gurrane Princess Is back to set the record straight and show what he is capable of. He has had the majority of his forty-eight races on these shores over two bends. His only four bend races have been at Romford on the odd occasion. Over two bends he has made his name where back in 2019 he reached the finals of the Scurry Cup at Belle Vue and the National sprint at Nottingham over 260 and 305 metres. He has won at Romford. That was back in 2019 as well when he clocked 24.12. He has shown recently he can still hold his own on the open circuit by winning a one off sprint race at Nottingham over 305 metres.
Carl on him said: “He has a lot of ability and can miss it at the boxes. He can be ultra-frustrating. When he gets it right he gets it right. He can be very fast away. He is just not that consistent at the boxes. He is still running well and won at Nottingham recently. He did a very good trial time at Sheffield of under sixteen seconds over 280 metres at Sheffield.
“Age is catching up with him a bit and is up against it. After the golden Sprint we will slow him down a bit and possibly keep him to one off races.
“Last week he got his timing wrong at the boxes and was a bit disappointing. Hopefully he has that out of his system and runs better.
“He is well in himself and is a lovely character, full of beans and he loves his racing. 400 metres is his ultimate trip. He sees it out well on the bunny. Hopefully he will come out with a better break.”
Several bookies are offering 4/1 for him to reverse last weeks form and take heat four while Ladbrokes are top price 33/1 for him to lift the trophy outright.
Romford handler Nathan Hunt like Carl has two runners in the Golden sprint but unlike the Sheffield based handler has both in the same heat.
That heat is six and is at 8.17pm. We all know about former puppy cup winner Grays Cup Winner so it is his other charge, Jonno You Go that gets the coverage in your favourite read. The son of Droopys Sydney and Rossinarna Biddy has had sixteen races on these shores winning once. That win came at Nottingham over 500 metres. The February ’18 whelp has had eight races over C&D and has yet to cross the line in front. In two trials over C&D he has shown he has ability when clocking very good, calculated times of 23.99 and 24.02. His win over 500 metres suggests he is more suited to a longer four bend trips but could use that to his advantage to keep qualifying.
Nathan on him said: “He has been desperately unlucky at Romford not to win. He does it in trials and has broken twenty-four seconds this year. He is really hard to pick up when on the bunny. He can definitely run but can be dependent on the draw. If he turns second or third at the first bend he will put in a good run.
“He has done a 3.69 split. If he can reproduce anything like that, he has a good chance. He desperately needs trap one and has it. He will turn left at the boxes. With the make-up of the heat, he should get some space on the inside.
“He comes home strong and if he sticks with them for the first couple of bends he could nick a qualifying place. He doesn’t necessarily need to break well. He needs to make use of his draw as he maybe lacks a bit of early.”
Ladbrokes are top price 14/1 for him to break his duck around the Essex venue while Paddy Power are 66/1 for him to win it outright.
Away from the Golden Sprint and in a puppies only race sees Brightside Nick make his Romford race debut for Nathan Hunt at 6.28pm over 400 metres.
The June ’19 whelp has only had four runs on these shores and is yet to get off the mark. That could change tonight. His four races were at Nottingham and Monmore. Although trialling at Romford the son of Droopys Sydney and Shes A Dream races there for the first time tonight. From his qualifying trials to his recent spin over C&D the penny has dropped in just under six weeks he has found twenty-three spots on his previous best trial time. Suddenly Romford could be his track after all.
Nathan on him said: “He has only been open racing. We thought a lot of him. He always ran Romford well in trials but never improved on his times as fast as we thought he would. We have been a bit disappointed with him. We took him back to Romford and he won a very good trial in a good time.
“We thought we would enter him in a puppy race to show his trial form, to back it up. We have tried a couple of things with him and they appear to be working.
“He has trap four and that is good for him. It is his ideal box, where he wants to be. Traps two and three may take each others ground and open the race up for him. We will be disappointed if he didn’t run a good race. He has a good chance to get off the mark.
“He has age on his side and is well bred. We are hoping he has turned a corner.”
There is a bit of a difference with the ‘bookies’ over Nick. Skybet are as short as 5/2 for him to win at Romford at the first time of asking while Ladbrokes are top price 7/2.
Regular readers of this column may have had two very nice priced winners last week courtesy of Onefortheroad and Deanridge Awesom. Trained by Kelly Grayson and Allison Kelly-Pilgrim the duo won there perspective races at whopping SP returns of 14/1 and 9/2, a double of just over 80/1. A very handy ‘Lockdown’ return. From the three greyhounds covered in the maiden stayers competition all three qualified and all contest the final tonight at 8.54pm. Did someone say tricast?
It pays to follow this column.
