Ratings and Analysis by Pete Walker
This category one competition is at Scotland’s only GBGB licensed greyhound track at Shawfield, Glasgow and sponsored by Racing Post Greyhound TV covering 480m. It is worth £20,000 to the winner and a minimum of £450 for the finalists. There were mixed fortunes for the favourites with three qualifying (two winners) and Hot Trend, Jumeirah Larry and the unfortunate Oscar Whisky missing out. Our syndicated runner Coolavanny Rebel was very brave and arose unscathed during first bend scrimmaging but couldn’t quite retain the third qualifying spot. However, he ran his heart out as usual and came back safe and sound which is all you can ask of a racing greyhound. I have compiled comparative ratings with the top three from each race as well as the overall top five of the semi-finalists with best prices available at the time of writing.
1st Semi-Final
T1 (R) – 151: Azzurri Genesis
T3 (R) – 147: Stay Loose
T4 (R) – 140: Grangeview Puma
Ratings based on a maximum of 200 reflect only recent performances over the course and distance. Track conditions at the time of racing may affect future performances of course. There were 11 railers, 1 middle and 6 wides that came through the qualifying heats. The initial semi-final appears the weakest affair and Azzurri Genesis (66/1) may have a slight edge on several other runners with similar recent performances.
2nd Semi-Final
T5 (W) – 183: Dorotas Woo Hoo
T3 (R) – 168: Droopys Five
T2 (R) – 156: Ginas Lad
The second semi-final should see Dorotas Woo Hoo (10/3) cement his place in the final after an eye-catching finish when chasing home Droopys Buick and is definitely a puppy on the upgrade. It might be worth taking a chance with an overpriced Droopys Five (33/1) to take the runners-up spot and qualify.
3rd Semi-Final
T2 (R) – 200: Droopys Buick
T3 (R) – 175: Coolavanny Mason
T4 (M) – 175: Black Zack
The last race has four heat winners in the line-up but Droopys Buick (2/1) has all the credentials to win the event and a rating of 200 tells you all you need to know. There may be some value in supporting Black Zack (25/1) who has won his last three opens in commanding style and his previous second to Garryvoe Bobby is top class form.
Top 5
(200): Droopys Buick (2/1)
(183): Dorotas Woo Hoo (10/3)
(175): Coolavanny Mason (10/1)
(175): Black Zack (25/1)
(168): Droopys Five (33/1)
The final is on the 6th May and shown on RPGTV’s Saturday evening programme.
