By Rob Abrey
It’s Friday. There is open racing at Romford. The two combined can only mean one thing; your favourite weekly round up at the Essex venue is here.
Tonight at Romford sees the start of the Romford Friday night 500 maiden stayers over 575 metres and with several greyhounds making their six bend debuts yours truly has found out more about one from each of the three heats. There are also greyhounds making their Romford debuts and eight bend debuts and again I’ve found out more about two of them.
The first race at Romford tonight in front of the Racing Post cameras at 7.12pm is the first heat of the 500 maiden stayers. Shotgun Bullet trained by Hove’s Derek Knight is making his six bend debut and will looking to make it a winning one. The son of Kinloch Brae and Winning Impact has had all his seven races at his home track over the 515 metres trip winning two. The two wins came in an open race and in a top graded affair. He has had a look around Romford from the same traps he runs from tonight clocking a decent calculated time of 13.90 over the 225 metres trip. The October ’15 whelp clearly has early pace and if able to stay could be shedding his maiden stayers tag quite quickly.
Trainer Derek Knight on Shotgun Bullet said: “I’ve no idea if he stays, he’s running there because he has a bit of pace and thought we would give him a go.
“He will only get the trip if he leads. He won’t if he doesn’t lead. He has won when he has led. If he leads he gets it. If he doesn’t he won’t.
“It is something different for him and thought we would give him a change of track. All my dogs I take to Romford run the track well. He did a nice trial and tonight is an experiment.”
‘If he leads he gets it’. There is a very good chance he will lead tonight and the 3/1 being offered by Corals should be considered. He has had a trial around Romford so has traps and course experience and could be a player.
Coolavanny Tonti is making his six bend debut at the ripe old age of three years and eleven months for Towcester trainer Reggie Allder in heat two at 7.29pm. The November ’13 whelp is lightly raced due to injury and is showing signs that six bends is ideal for him. The son of Razldazl Rioga and Maries Peer has won a D2 graded sprint race at home track Towcester over 260 metres so does have some early pace in his locker.
Trainer Reggie Allder on Coolavanny Tonti said: “It’s quite a close to the heart job this one. He broke his hock, has come back and is doing alright. I have taken my time with him. I schooled him at my place and gave him a couple of sprint trials at Henlow then gave him a few sprint races at Towcester and he won a D2.
“He ran at Henlow recently in an open race over 460 metres. He didn’t win but ran well.
“I’m pleased with him and tomorrow [Friday] he makes his six bend debut. Nobody knows if he stays, not even me! I think he does though and is always first at the pickup.
“He has been injured and is now having the runs he already should have done.”
Local runner Newlawn Jumbo after twenty two races over 400 metres at the Essex venue is being stepped up to six bends. Trained by Philip Simmonds the July ’15 whelp has won eight of those twenty two with three of those eight wins at open race level. Over the 400 metres trip his fastest calculated time is an impressive 24.08 seconds. He contests heat three tonight at 7.46pm and with times like that over four bends if he stays he will not be contesting maiden stayers for very long.
Local handler Philip Simmonds on Newlawn Jumbo said: “The owner wants to try him over six bends. I don’t think he stays. He might stay 480 to 500 metres but not 575 metres but I’m here to be proved wrong.
“He has early and has to be in front going into the last bend to stand any chance of winning. He is fit and well and does have local knowledge. With his early he should lead up even with a moderate start.
“After the race we will have a good idea and if he does get it to some extent he will at least be ready to grade over six bends.”
The trainer doesn’t think he will stay. He may not but he is sure to lead and with a big enough lead may have enough to scramble over the line. Coral are offering 9/4 and at that price he may be worth a risk.
Esker Quintana finally runs at Romford tonight for Yarmouth trainer Martin Allen after having a trial over 225 metres back in May. In the first heat of the Friday night 500 maidens over 400 metres at 8.03pm the March ’15 whelp is in fine fettle at home track Yarmouth after winning an A3 graded race over 462 metres on Monday. The son of Razldazl Rioga and Esker Lil does appear to have stamina issues and the drop down to 400 metres may be ideal for him.
Trainer Martin Allen on Esker Quintana said: “He trialled at Romford a few months ago over 225 metres with the intention of entering him in a sprint race. With the time he clocked [14.11] we thought he would be outclassed against some of the greyhounds running in sprints at Romford at that time. We also ruled out a 400 metres race as he looked like he would not stay the distance. That is not the case now.
“He’s a funny little dog. He has early pace but doesn’t really stay the 462 metres at Yarmouth. He has been going through the grades and won an A3 on Monday. After that he will now be in A2 races and that may be a bit hard for him so thought we would have a little jaunt down to Romford for the night.
“Tomorrow [Friday] he runs from different traps to what he is used to but nine times out of ten he hits the lids. He is very calm in the boxes and I’m optimistic he will get it right at the boxes.”
The trainer is optimistic he hit the lids and at 5/1 he may be worth a dabble as he should get 400 metres if he does indeed ‘ping’ out of the boxes.
Dower Theo is making his eight bend debut tonight in the maiden marathon in the lucky last at 10.23pm over 750 metres. Trained by local handler Philip Simmonds the October ’15 whelp was only stepped up to six bends in late September and had three attempts over 575 metres in open races winning none. The son of Sparta Maestro and Borna Central was however against top class greyhounds such as King Eden and Droopys Who. He has now been stepped up to eight bends and that is maybe where his future lies.
Trainer Philip Simmonds on him said: “He looks like a dog that can get extreme distances. Ideally I would have liked to run him over 695 metres at Hove or 680 metres at Nottingham but there are none on the racing calendar at the moment for maidens. We entered him over 750 metres at Romford so he can get races.
“He needs bigger tracks, galloping tracks like Hove or Nottingham. I think he will get 750 metres but is more suited to bigger tracks.
“He is a big tall dog and can swing off the bends at Romford. I would though love him to get it easily but a galloping track is what he ideally needs and will see how he copes on Friday. The draw in trap one though is perfect for him.
“At this stage we don’t know enough about him to know if he will be a top class open racer or not.”
He may not be ideally suited to Romford but he has such a good draw and with the favourite in the race in trap two he should lead her up. It is then up to her to overtake which may not prove easy. Coral offer 9/2 and that should be considered.
Regular readers of this column would have known all about Droopys Who before his recent stint at Romford. Trained by John Mullins, before his first six bend race is was reported that the trainer was “confident” he would stay. Although he lost his first race over 575 metres by half a length he won his second by half a length and claimed the Friday night 500 maiden stayers final. He did indeed stay and those who read it were already in the know.
