By Rob Abrey
You haven’t read wrong – this IS ‘Rob’s Sheffield Round-up’. I’m making my second appearance on Racing Post TV tonight so thought I would do a one off Sheffield version of my popular column tonight for your enjoyment. As ever there are greyhounds making their Sheffield debuts tonight and true to form I’ve endeavoured to find out more about some of them. With nine opens on show tonight I have found out more about five greyhounds.
Belle Vue trainer Joy Andrews is tackling Sheffield tonight with four runners. Three of them are either making their Sheffield or distance debuts and it those three that I’m interested in.
First up for team ‘Joy’ is Flamboyant. The May ’14 whelp is running over two bends for only the second time in his long career for connections Alf Element and Craig Gardiner. In the first heat of the Sheffield Stadium Sprint at 7.11pm over 280 metres the son of Windy Millar and Maltese Force will be looking to add to his sole two bends victory. The only other time he has attempted a sprint race he won it.
That was at Belle Vue in a D1 graded race over 260 metres and he duly obliged by a head. Going in to tonight’s race, the Belle Vue raider has Sheffield experience with five runs at various times over 480 and 500 metres. Of those five attempts he has won once and that was over 500 metres back in January. If able to lay handy going in the last bend the four year old could be making his way to the winners enclosure.
Joy said: “He’s a dog I reared myself. He is a great dog, especially around Belle Vue. He has won a D1 before. He has been off injured and did a smartish trial time at Belle Vue over the sprint trip. Because of that I wanted to ease him back with a sprint open. We were already going with Gurtnacrehy Theo so thought he may as go as well.
“He doesn’t fly out the traps but after the second bend he starts to fly home. If he’s lying handy at the last bend he has a chance to win it. He could nip it on the line.
“He’s not a natural sprinter but has won a D1 at Belle Vue. He is a good little dog and has been a great servant for us. Trap two on Tuesday will suit him. I would prefer trap one but trap two is fine. We will see how he gets on.”
Paddy Power make Flamboyant a 7/1 poke and that should be considered. He has found his paws at Sheffield and is running well at present. If turning handy he will be a big threat.
Next up for team ‘Joy’ is Fire Height Hugo. Unlike kennel mate Flamboyant who is vastly experienced, Fire Height Hugo is a relative newcomer. The March ’16 whelp has only had five races on these shores, winning two of them. All those five races were at Belle Vue in graded races over 470 metres. Tonight the son of Royal Impact and Fire Height Amy runs at Sheffield for the first time in the Sheffield Stadium maiden over 500 metres at 7.58pm. His graded wins came in A3 and A2 graded races and is heading in the right direction.
Joy said: “He’s currently just an A2 dog at Belle Vue. I thought I would give the dog a change of track. That can freshen them up. He’s won an A2 at Belle Vue and is a decent type of dog. We thought we would give him a change. They tend to run well back at Belle Vue after running elsewhere. Trap four for him is ideal. I would say he could get 500 metres.”
Fire Height Hugo is untested over C&D but at 5/1 with Paddy Power may be worth a dabble. It is not a tough maiden and looks very, very open.
Last up for the ‘Andrews three’ to be making their Sheffield debuts is Moscow Boy. The April ’16 whelp has only recently been with Joy after moving from Kinsley trainer Harry Grimshaw. Previous to running at Kinsley the son of Kinloch Brae and Moscow Mags was at Belle Vue but with trainer Darren Hampson. He has run the majority of his twenty six races over four bends bar one. He has had one previous race over six bends and that was at Belle Vue over 590 metres in an S1 graded race. In his one and only foray over six bends he won by two and a half lengths. Tonight he goes over six bends again but this time at Sheffield over 660 metres in the Sheffield Stadium stayers at 8.28pm.
Joy said: “He was at Kinsley but the owner wants to go for opens every now and then and knew I go open racing. Sheffield is a change of scenery for him and the owner thinks he will stay. There is only one way to find out.
“He is a railer but has been drawn in trap six which will do him no favours. Hopefully he will get round trouble free so we can see what he can do.”
Elegant Eileen is back at Sheffield over two bends after winning twice from three attempts over 480 metres. Trained by Kinsley’s Allen Lumb the December ’15 whelp has had seven previous sprint races at Sheffield over 280 metres winning none. Tonight the daughter of Zero Ten and Elegant Ana will be trying to make it eight times lucky. She has had more success over four bends winning two from her last three attempts. Tonight though she is back to two bends at 7.42pm in heat three of the Sheffield Stadium sprint over 280 metres. Like Flamboyant if lying handy she could cause some of the more natural sprinters problems in the latter stages.
Allen said: “It is purely by chance she is running at Sheffield in a sprint race. She was entered for Sunderland but was off colour so we pulled her out. We re-qualified her at Kinsley and she ran really well in a sprint trial. We thought after that to start her off with two bend races and entered her in a sprint.
“She hasn’t won at Sheffield over two bends. For some reason she hadn’t been trapping out. We got her checked out and everything was fine. Since then she has come to hand from then on and started trapping. She has recorded one of the fastest split times of the year over 480 metres with a split of 3.09 seconds. In that race though she lost her footing at the first bend and that was that.
“She is a nice little bitch and does appear to like Sheffield. I would sooner see her from trap three but trap four is fine for her. I don’t want her from trap one so will keep her as a middle seed. If she comes away she is in with a shout and could be a decent price.”
She is back to sprints and has shown over 480 metres how fast from the traps she can be when getting it right. The 6/1 being offered by paddy Power feels a bit big.
Hove trainer Jamie Kingsley is making the long trip from his Lingfield base to tackle Sheffield tonight. He is running three of his charges there tonight but the focus is on Willmount Manor who is yet to run there. The May ’15 whelp is making her Sheffield debut in the Sheffield Stadium 480 at 8.58pm over 480 metres. The Hove raider has won an open race at her home track over 515 metres and is currently running in A3 graded races. The daughter of Zero Ten and Vintage Kewell although running in 515 metre races, looks like she benefits from a shorter four bend trip and 480 metres tonight could be ideal for her.
Jamie said: “When she traps she is a great bitch. She does trap nine out of ten times first time up. She is a good old bitch. I’ll be disappointed if she led and lost. We got her to have some fun with and she turned out to be a good bitch. She will get 480 metres standing on her head and seems to like tracks with tighter bends. I would prefer her to lead but she can do it both ways.”
