Almost 100 hounds short at Crayford
Entain have announced that they will continue to stage 10-race cards for at least the next nine meetings, up to and including Sunday October 20th. This follows the cancellation of today’s meeting due to a runner shortage.
Racing Manager Danny Rayment said: “Ideally we would want 400 plus runners (for the Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday weekly schedule) and at the moment we have just over 300.
“I have nothing against five runner races, particularly around our track. And we will have plenty of them, even with the reduced meeetings, but we would have ended up with some three and four runner fields when PGR really want six.”
So are the track looking to recruit more trainers?
Rayment said: “We advertised in virtually every Calendar at the start of the year, got nowhere, stopped and then started again. There was no interest. To be honest, the schedule this year, with no Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings has proved very unpopular.”
Maverick is Shelbourne bound
Home bred Keefill Maverick has been lined up for an attempt at the forthcoming Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park.
Kennel hand Chloe Waite (left) with Tarsna Atalanta and Keefill Maverick, Keeley Cunningham holds Keefill Goose and Droopys Addition.
Owner, breeder, trainer Phill Milner said: “We’re excited to say we’re going to have a go at the Irish derby. It’s been a dream to race at Shelbourne and whilst there are lots of things to overcome ie paperwork (with him being British bred) the logistics of travel and finances both keeley and myself decided life’s for living and we had to give it a go.
“We had thought about it earlier in the year but had a few setbacks, before his tumble at Swindon he was flying he posted one of the quickest 483 times of the year at Donny, did an incredible run to pick up Kevin Hutton’s dog at Oxford posting an unreal time on the night el tornillo broke the clock, and our own gauge he ran a stormer behind Avongate Venus at Towcester where he would have been closer had he not lost balance a little round 3rd and 4th.
“So, Keeley is heading over for a trial on Friday and we will go from there, we’re a run or 2 short as he had a break after Swindon fall but he’s flying at home and trialled very well on Saturday at Doncaster after going 5 spots off the sprint clock 5 days earlier.
“The redevelopment at Shelbourne and overall the place in general is the pinnacle of our sport and we’re in the sport to aim for the top and make memories so why not have a go. His dad Droopys Addition is standing at Droopys stud now and being British bred British reared British trained it’s an added dimension.
“I’m under no illusion what level we are but what’s the point in all the hours and sacrifices if we can’t dare to dream with our best homebred.”
NOTE: The Perry Barr Saturday card has been updated to include the first round of the ARC Scurry Gold Cup – link below
Ned ahead for Steel
Initial second favourite Wicky Ned has jumped to the head of the ante post betting with the sponsors for the Bresbet Steel City Cup. Jimmy Fenwick’s runner is now a 6/4 chance.
Bresbet’s Sam Perry said: “We were a bit apprehensive before we saw the entries for the competition, as there’s quite a lot going on at the moment (Oaks/Kent Derby) but we were delighted when we saw such a strong entry!
“Obviously Wicky Ned is the big focal point, given the £10k bonus we put up for winning both The Gymcrack and The Steel City cup! He was a bit bigger price than he normally would have been, purely because he’d not been seen for a few weeks. But he left any doubts far behind him when winning impressively on Sunday, in what was clearly the best time. He’s going to take all the beating.
“From an Ante post perspective, Links Maverick is the one we’ve laid in the book. We laid him before the first round, and again as soon as prices went up for the next round.
“I think having only one locally trained dog in the semi finals shows how deep the competition is! We’ve also already priced up the semi-finals, and they’re onsite now – BresBet.”
Cook’s Bilbo bags the Nottingham sprint contest
Kylenoe Bilbo wins the delayed sprint final tying his own fastest of the year.
Lynn Cook’s son of Lenson Bocko has been a revelation since dropped back to sprinting, equalling his own 17.52 fastest of the year over 305m that he set in the heats of the competition. Last night was his eighth open race win of the year out of the 17 that the kennel have picked up so far.
Loxleys Forest got the job done in the stayers contest for Jason Gray. It was only his second start over six bends so the September 22 whelp is potentially still capable of a touch better over the distance. Gray quickly doubled up with Seaside Degs in the Standard Trophy over 500m.
The fourth and final open on the card was won by Dubai Kid for Craig Marston. Although he started as the outsider of the field at 9/1, his 41.46 success is the fourth quickest of the year over 680m at Nottingham.
Joe’s Tuesday Tips
***7.39 Central Park – Tromora Ronaldo
**6.31 Central Park – Potty By Nature
*8.13 Central Park – King Presley
A mixed night on Monday with the nap winning well at an advised 10/3 returning 11/4 and one other winner at a short price of 4/7. We head into an evening of graded action with three bets all from Central Park.
The Nap of the evening runs in the A2 at 7.39pm. Trap five Tromora Ronaldo drops into A2 company for the first time in his career having only ever competed in A1 and open races over four bends and further. He is a strong running type who has been finding plenty of trouble in his recent A1 races so the drop in grade should help Tromora Ronaldo and if getting a clear run at the leaders he can fetch them in late on to be one from one in the grade and leave A2 behind him.
The next best is trap three Potty By Nature in the 491m Handicap at 6.31pm. Receiving four metres Paul Philpott’s strong running bitch won A5 and A4 consecutively before heading to Crayford for a 540m open followed by a 714m open behind the talented Miss Syd. Potty By Nature was only beat six and half lengths by Miss Syd and in the context of this race that is a good run. She drops back in trip but having a four metre start on traps five and six give them plenty to do if trying to catch the strong runner so if Potty By Nature can hold her position at the first bend, she can catch traps one and two and go onto win.
The Value bet for the evening is going to be the newcomer King Presley in the A4 at 8.13pm. Running from trap three this is King Presley’s first race and as we know they don’t tend to hang around in graded company for long so it wouldn’t be any surprise to see King Presley mark his debut with a win. He clocked 29.99 in his latest trial beat just under three lengths by a greyhound who has started in A2 so the grader hasn’t been harsh on this April 23 baby so I am willing to take a chance that natural improvement can see King Presley pick up his first victory at the first time of asking.
Nicky The Second just keeps winning
Nicky The Second (T3) – first
There are few dogs at any level who can win eight consecutive starts. To do it while continually climbing the grading ladder is something incredibly special.
Julie Luckhurst is the trainer in charge of the son of King Sheeran. The winner of 10 of his 16 career starts, he is out of a Crayford specialist who was trained by Jim Daly, Late Hyena. She has clearly passed her love of the Kent track onto her son. He’s owned by a syndicate of four headed up by Richard Hennessy.
Hennessy is a man who has been involved in the sport almost all of his life. He’s worked as a bookie’s clerk at Crayford for a sizeable length of time. He is the man who took the pressure on his shoulders when it came to finding a dog to buy.
£500 proves well spent
It was at the Premier Greyhound Sales at Crayford in May that the dog was purchased for just £500. Hennessy recalls “It was a ropey trial, he was so novicey it was unreal.” There was enough in the pedigree to convince him to buy even though those around him were negative about the dog.
Nicky The Second was split into four shares, Hennessy’s 88-year-old mum Pamela, Amber Jarrett and Tony Linnett taking the other three. You may recognise the last named as an author who has written of his ownership journey in horse racing as well as his battle with a terminal cancer diagnosis.
The early signs were not good, after his first two grading trials, Hennessy was worried “I thought, he’s not even going to grade in.” Eventually the penny dropped and the dog made it inside grading time. He would win an A9 and an A8 back-to-back in late June and early July but then hit a wall in A7.
A return to A8 was the start of his meteoric rise on August 15, winning in each grade in turn, adding a top grade affair on October 4. The next step is to try and win an open race and he will try that on Sunday. Each win is one for Linnett as Hennessy puts it. An open success really would be the crowning glory of a fairytale run.
Click on catalogue to view
Hove Sales October 14
Speaking of Premier Greyhound Sales, the catalogue for their sale next week at Hove is now live.
Although the oldest lot in the sales, Faypoint Sydney is sure to be one of the most popular lots.
A 28.41 Cork winner on debut, he has kept solid company since, picking up just a single further win but his times will tempt some who are looking to get a dog who can contend at a good level straightaway.
There are a string of August 23 whelps on offer, with plenty of those coming from Droopys Stud. As always, they look like being some of the most popular puppies on offer.
You can find the entire catalogue on their site and look over the lots for yourself.
Sunderland to host a McMillan coffee morning
Wednesday, October 16 is the date for the diary.
Head along to Sunderland greyhound track between 10am and midday to help support the cause. It is for a charity that is close to the heart of so many within the sport who have seen loved ones fighting cancer.
Opens
Friday: Romford
Saturday: Central Park ♦ Perry Barr
