Hove Tips from Joe
This evening we head to Hove overseeing the six Open Races at the Sussex track.
At 7.16 Atomic Gun in trap one has a good makeup in the Coral Thursday Night 500 Standard. He’s inside another early pacer in Sharp Butch. If trapping I would fancy Atomic Gun to lead and that could be enough to see him take this from the front. Trap four Ballymac Kinga was an impressive winner on Saturday evening but looks far from ideally drawn this evening. If she manages to break in front and lead, she would be tough to beat. I am going to side with Atomic Gun, however.
The Coral Thursday Night 285 Maiden Sprint at 7.33 looks a match on paper between trap one Riverside Ava and trap six Bingo Bullet.
The latter ran the race of his life last Saturday at Hove. He led at the first bend to be beat a short head by National Sprint winner Bombout Bullet. That still only saw him clock 16.72 when doing everything right. I am going to be with Riverside Ava in trap one who is nearly peak season date and running at the top of her game. A clean break can see her go on to land a hat-trick of victories having won D3 and D2 on her last two starts.
At 8.07 we have the Coral Thursday Night 695 Maiden Stayers contest where trap two Join In is likely to go off favourite. She won well over C&D last time out winning an S2. Avarua Jilly in trap five is going to be my selection against the favourite. The line of form behind Saint Maga on June 20 is as solid as any line of form in the race and I would expect Avarua Jilly to get first run on rivals here if coming away so from the front she should be tough to pass.
It’s extremely difficult to look past Coral Sussex Cup runner up Wasted Monday who runs from trap five in the Coral Thursday night 500 Standard at 8.24. A vacant box on his immediate inside should allow Wasted Monday a clear passage and barring any mistakes he should have too much for his rivals.
The best drawn dog of the evening could well be Garys Angels in the Coral 500 Maiden Trophy Heat one at 8.41. The inside quartet are poorly drawn with trap one Pocket Gun turning right from an inside draw. That could cause problems for Southwood Winx in trap two. Faypoint Jet in three and Antigua Bubble in four would ideally switch draws so if Garys Angels can keep himself to himself out wide, he has solid A1 form to his name and could take this at a decent enough price.
The Coral 500 Maiden Trophy Heat Two at 8.59 looks like its trap two Missile One’s race to lose. The September 22 puppy trained by Seamus Cahill was a huge eye-catcher on UK debut last weekend behind Riverside Gun having found plenty of trouble around the first two bends. His price will reflect his chances but whatever Missile One does tonight, he is one to keep a close eye on heading into the autumn and winter months.
McGee with Da Bold plan
Legendary trainer John ‘Ginger’ McGee is considering a crack at the Select Stakes – incredibly some 35 years after Yes Speedy won the famous one-off at Wembley in 1989.
His new 600yd Shelbourne track record holder Da Bold Falcon could be heading to Nottingham for a trial ahead of the JenningsBet-backed 500m annual on Bank Holiday Monday, August 26.
Prominent in the betting for the Irish Derby at Shelbourne in November, Da Bold Falcon set the new 600yd mark at the Dublin venue last week, stopping the clock in a blistering 31.72sec – inside Laughil Duke’s 31.91sec previous best set in 2013.
Strong trial card at Hove tonight
The trial session at Hove tonight has some big names on it.
Liz and Rab McNair have a busy trial session ahead of them. Defending St Leger champion Havana Lover has not raced since the Golden Jacket Final at Crayford in February. He has had plenty of trials both at Hove and Central Park to set him up for an autumn campaign.
Three Steps To Victory winner Queen Georgia will have a sprint spin after making the Regency semis. Havana Top Note is another Category One winner in action tonight. The Hunt Cup winner from April was last seen in race action in the third round of the Derby.
Central Park changes this week
10-race cards will be run at Central Park during the next week, starting tomorrow. The new race timings are as follows.
Friday, August 2 – 11:43 – 14:14
Saturday August 3 – 18:53 – 21:28
Monday August 5 – 14:36 – 17:24
Tuesday August 6 – 18:48 – 21:23
RIP Padge Roban and Dermot Cox
Greyhound racing in Ireland has lost two more notable figures this week. Padge Robin was best known for his Elite prefix. Saturday night will see Elite Kursk in the Bar One Sprint at Dundalk off the back of the leading second-round run.
Dermot Cox was the landlord of Newbridge Stadium where the Cox Cup was run. There will be no meeting tomorrow at the track as a sign of respect for his passing.
Bar One Racing Family Fun Day
The Final of the Bar One Racing Sprint will be part of Family Fun Day on August 15.
Gates open at midday ahead of an afternoon of horse racing before the greyhounds take over in the evening. There is entertainment for the kids as well as the adults. Bands will play between the two meetings and a DJ will take over in the evening for those who want to dance the night away.
For more information or to book tickets, head to the Dundalk Stadium website.
Towcester to race on Mondays
With Suffolk Downs out of action for at least the month of August, Towcester will take over on a Monday. The card on August 5 will be made up of purely Suffolk Downs dogs. There are no other changes to the Towcester schedule during this time.
Repairs at Suffolk Downs are underway with damage to the greyhound areas not as bad as it could have been.
Opens
Thursday: Hove ♦ Swindon
Friday: Romford
Saturday: Doncaster
Sunday: Towcester
