The first category one competition of the year at Romford starts next week in the form of the Golden Sprint writes Rob Abrey.
Tonight is the last chance to give any perspective entries a race around the Essex venie before it starts next Friday. Along with those greyhounds there are greyhounds making their Romford debuts in a minor maiden competition over 400 metres and a one off maiden marathon over 750 metres.
As ever in your favourite read I have endeavoured to find out more about a possible Golden Sprint entry, one from each of the two maiden heats and one from the maiden marathon for your enjoyment.
Fridays Geldof trained by Henlow’s Jonathan Blencowe is making a bit of a name for himself on the open scene. The November ’16 whelp has won five races from ten, a 50% strike rate, four of which have been won in open races. The son of Superior Product and Fridays Twirl has won at Nottingham and Monmore over the sprint trips of 305 and 264 metres and at Harlow over 415 metres. Tonight he travels to Essex to tackle Romford for the first time. In a standard affair over 400 metres at 7.33pm he will be looking to show his Golden Sprint potential.
Trainer Jonathan Blencowe on Fridays Geldof said: “Friday is a fact finding mission. Instead of a trial we thought we would give him a run obviously with a view to the Golden Sprint next Friday. He deserves to be running in those types of competitions. He is definitely good enough.
“The short four bend trip should be ideal for him. He is not what I call an out and out sprinter but does have really good early. Fingers crossed he takes to the track.
“We gave him a sprint race at Swindon on Wednesday as he is a very active dog and always wants to be doing something so we thought we would give him a little blow out over the 285 metres trip. He will benefit from that.
“The only issue with him is he is draw dependent. He is an out and out railer. Trap two can be too far from the rails. He is one of those dogs that heads to the left. He is a brilliant railer and definitely good enough but is draw dependent. He has won from trap three but does head to the left. If he pops out and takes to the track he could surprise a few on Friday.”
Corals are top price 7/1 for Fridays Geldof to take spoils. Geldof trained by Henlow’s Jonathan Blencowe is making a bit of a name for himself on the open scene. The November ’16 whelp has won five races from ten, a 50% strike rate, four of which have been won in open races. The son of Superior Product and Fridays Twirl has won at Nottingham and Monmore over the sprint trips of 305 and 264 metres and at Harlow over 415 metres. Tonight he travels to Essex to tackle Romford for the first time. In a standard affair over 400 metres at 7.33pm he will be looking to show his Golden Sprint potential.
Trainer Jonathan Blencowe on Fridays Geldof said: “Friday is a fact finding mission. Instead of a trial we thought we would give him a run obviously with a view to the Golden Sprint next Friday. He deserves to be running in those types of competitions. He is definitely good enough.
“The short four bend trip should be ideal for him. He is not what I call an out and out sprinter but does have really good early. Fingers crossed he takes to the track.
“We gave him a sprint race at Swindon on Wednesday as he is a very active dog and always wants to be doing something so we thought we would give him a little blow out over the 285 metres trip. He will benefit from that.
“The only issue with him is he is draw dependent. He is an out and out railer. Trap two can be too far from the rails. He is one of those dogs that heads to the left. He is a brilliant railer and definitely good enough but is draw dependent. He has won from trap three but does head to the left. If he pops out and takes to the track he could surprise a few on Friday.”
Corals are top price 7/1 for Fridays Geldof to take spoils.
Musical Roxanne is making her debut on these shores for local handler David Mullins at the grand old age of three and a bit. The December ’15 whelp is experienced though with thirty three races at five different tracks in Ireland. Tonight the daughter of Head Bound and Leamaneigh Lisa goes straight into heat one of a maiden competition over 400 metres at 8.06pm. She has had three trials over tonight’s 400 metres trip and has improved with each one. Her splits and times have got better with each trial. In her last trial she clocked a calculated time of 24.17 with a 3.87 split an improvement of twenty and seven spots from her second trial. If that improvement continues she will lose her maiden tag soon.
Trainer David Mullins on Musical Roxanne said: “She is not a Golden Sprint dog so has been entered in the maiden comp instead to ease her in. She has supposedly come over to be a stayer. That is what she has been bought for. We will ease her in and step her up gradually. She will start at Romford over 400 metres then step her up to middle distances then short six bend trips and then take it from there.
“If she does stay, we have plans for her and the three steps to victory at Sheffield is one of them.
“She is improving nicely and if she can stay doing 24.17 over 400 metres she could be fairly decent.
“Although we don’t know too much about her trap two for her on Friday will be fine.”
Skybet are top price 5/2 for Musical Roxanne to win on her Romford debut.
While talking to trainer David Mullins he was asked who he will be entering for the Golden Sprint and who he thinks could go best. To that he replied: “I should enter Not So Lento, Troy Bella and Blue Asprilla to name three. I think our best chance is Not So Lento.”
Thymelea Archer at the age of three years and five months is making his Romford debut for Yarmouth Trainer Scott Manthorpe. The September ’15 whelp has only had thirty three races on these shores winning nine. Those nine wins have all come at home track Yarmouth over 462 metres in graded races with five of them in A1’s. Interestingly he has finished second, eight times so from thirty three races has figured in the first two seventeen times which is not bad going. The son of Vans Escalade and Swift India tackles Romford tonight for the first time in heat two of the maiden competition over 400 metres at 8.21pm. The drop to 400 metres tonight could be ideal for him.
Trainer Scott Manthorpe on Thymelea Archer said: “He’s not a young dog and is lightly raced due to a serious muscle injury when he was younger. He had a lot of promise when he was a pup but had a long break. Every race is a bonus.
“He is running really well and has been unlucky at Yarmouth recently and Romford may play to his strengths. He has loads of boot down the back straight that’s where his game is. He is not a weak runner over 462 metres at Yarmouth but stronger runners sometimes get to him.
“Trap four is good for him. He keeps a nice straight course from the traps and does run a good bend, he drives into the bends really well. I don’t see why he couldn’t take to Romford.”
Skybet make Thymelea Archer 7/2 to win at Romford first time up.
Yarmouth trainer Scott Manthorpe will be looking to make it a quick fire double with his Thymelea Audrey. In the race after his Archer, kennel mate Thymelea Audrey contests in the maiden marathon at 8.38pm over 750 metres. The December ’15 whelp has predominately spent his career at home track Yarmouth and has won over 659 metres in graded races in S2 and S1 affairs. The December ’15 whelp has run over 805 metres at Peterborough but on that occasion came fourth. The daughter of Kinloch Brae and Swift Palmer is in fine fettle at the moment winning an S2 graded race over 659 metres at Yarmouth and finishing second in an A4 graded race in a distance that clearly doesn’t suit.
Trainer Manthorpe on Thymelea Audrey said: “She is a frustrating type. I do think she can stay. She can bang out the traps and keep pulling. I do think she stays further than 659 metres. When I took her to Peterborough her preparations were not ideal and things did not go to plan. In her 659 races at Yarmouth nothing back runs her to the pick up, she is always well clear.
“She has been a little off the boil of late but has come back into form. She has run in lots of 462 metres graded races as there wasn’t many stayer races available. She hits a flat spot around the ¾ mark but kicks on again. She is from a very good litter and some of them have that trademark.
“Some of the greyhounds from the same litter are Coney Cactus, Swift Aspen and Jovial Monk. They are all very good dogs.”
Several companies are 11/2 for Thymelea Audrey to win over eight bends for the first time.
Regular readers of this column may have had a nice little double last week curtesy of Kilmore Lemon and Ballymac Daz. Trained by Patrick Janssens and Kevin Hutton the duo duly obliged at SP returns of 10/11 and 2/1.
