In today’s Weekly Review, Paul Blake looks back at the Category 1 action. On Friday the ‘Classic’ reached the semi-final point at Sunderland. The Irish Derby advanced to the quarter-finals at Shelbourne Park on Saturday with Freddie marching through. The Jay & Kay Coach Tours Gold Collar got underway at Crayford on Sunday alongside the Ladbrokes Grand National.
Before that on Sunday, at Towcester, the first round heats of the English Puppy Derby provided plenty of drama. And, on Monday evening, the PGR Eclipse took centre stage with Droopys Plunge going quickest.
A Classic evening at Sunderland
Semi-final night didn’t disappoint as the Premier Greyhound Classic reached the penultimate stage at Sunderland. Matt Dartnall’s Fire and Ice took the honours in the opening heat. The Romford Coral Puppy Cup winner has found the extra 50 metres at Sunderland to his liking.
However, Matt Dartnall’s youngster has a much trickier task in the final. He will line up in trap 2 on the outside of Bramble Linton, the winner of Heat 3. Garry Hamilton’s Oscar The Grouch ran on strongly to finish second. He booked his place in the final with a late rally and will take his chance from trap 4.
More bumps than the dodgems in Heat 2
Coolavanny Mercy and Tom Heilbron’s Unanimous Leon were the two qualifiers to come from Heat 2. This race had more bumps than the dodgems at Dreamland Margate!
The eventual winner Coolavanny Mercy and 4th placed Stonepark Hoffa came together at the first bend but held their pitch. By this time, 5/4F Links Maverick’s chances were all but over. He was crowded out by Wraysbury Katie and forced wide. They bumped again coming off the 2nd bend. Last year’s Pall Mall and Gold Cup winner was out of contention.
Unanimous Leon, in the red jacket, showed plenty of pace down the back straight. Unfortunately, he was closed off by the leaders and then forced to check coming off the last bend. Superbly, he rallied down the inside, passing Stonepark Hoffa who faded badly down the lane. Coolavanny Mercy charged down the outside to take the honours.
Coolavanny Mercy, Angela Harrison’s Dec-21 bitch by Droopys Sydney, will go out of trap 5 in Friday’s final.
It’s all on the break
Looking ahead to the final, Tom Heilbron assessed Unanimous Leon’s chances in the final. “We would need a ping break from him because he hasn’t been getting himself out in front in the heats.
“He’s fast enough if he gets a clear run but it’s all on the break this week.”
The fastest on the night was Bramble Linton. He reversed first round form in another colossal contest with Brindle Bully in the third semi final. David Mullins’ Brindle Bully is the only wide seed and will run again in the striped jacket. In contrast, Bramble Linton was drawn on the inside and has the shortest route to victory.
A breath-taking performance at Shelbourne
In the quarter-finals of the 2024 Boylesports Irish Derby, all eyes were on 18-month-old Droopys Kathleen. She delivered a breath-taking performance that may stand as one of the most extraordinary in Shelbourne Park’s history. Despite being in just her fourth race, the Robert Gleeson-trained star eclipsed her prior record-challenging display. She shaved nine spots off the clock, finishing in an astonishing 27.58 seconds— smashing Paradise Madison’s 12-year-old mark.
Competing in the Irish Puppy Oaks semi-final, Droopys Kathleen extended her aggregate winning margin to a staggering 37 lengths. The second qualifying heat saw Darbys Queen take victory with a respectable 28.15.
A strong hand for Holland
Meanwhile, Graham Holland enters the Boylesports Irish Derby semi-finals in a commanding position with two unbeaten contenders: ante-post favourite Bockos Diamond and Bombay Pat. Holland also holds a strong hand with Cheap Sandwiches, making up the top three in the betting markets. However, it was David Murray’s Carrick Aldo who clocked the fastest time in the quarter-finals, winning his heat in 29.15 seconds.
The quarter-final outcomes largely adhered to expectations, though English Derby champion De Lahdedah suffered a surprising exit in the opening race. The semi-final draw now sees ten wide-seeded dogs remaining in contention.
Sponsor’s Betting:
- 5/4 Bockos Diamond
- 8/1 Bombay Pat, Cheap Sandwiches
- 10/1 Boylesports Bob
- 12/1 Callaway Knegare
- 14/1 Carrick Aldo, Da Bold Falcon, March On Freddie, Ballinabola Jim
- 16/1 Seven Beach
- 25/1 A Lucky Julie
- 40/1 Singalong Dolly
Super Sunday review
Following a thrilling weekend of greyhound racing action, a Super Sunday saw heats for three prestigious Category One events kick off. Crayford hosted the Jay & Kay Coach Tours Gold Collar and the Ladbrokes Grand National heats, while Towcester staged six heats of the English Puppy Derby earlier in the day.
At Towcester, the standout performance came from Ballymac Kobe, trained by Maxine Locke, who clocked an impressive 28.88 in heat five of the 500m trip, leading by nearly six lengths and maintaining his momentum from last week’s trial stakes win. Locke also enjoyed success in heat two with Ballymac Blanco, who led from start to finish, recording a strong 28.99 in a close race against Skeard Josie, trained by Jimmy Fenwick.
Roy Peckham’s Winscale Wonder matched Ballymac Kobe’s speed with a 4.08 split, setting the pace early in heat one and securing victory in 29.10. Other impressive wins included Mark Wallis’s Newinn Cloud, who recorded 29.02, and Paul Young’s Bombay Birch, who posted a swift 28.92 in their respective heats. Notably, heat three was declared void due to a safety stoppage, advancing Farneys Mate, Thor Odinson, and King Jackson to the semi-finals by default.
Holloway dominates Ladbrokes grand national
Crayford delivered equally riveting performances, with trainers Nathan Hunt and Ricky Holloway dominating in their respective events.
In the Jay & Kay Coach Tours Gold Collar, Hunt’s Oaks runner-up Icemans Girl won narrowly against Slick Sabo in heat two, while her kennelmate Allowdale Cazoo clinched a close victory over Wrighty in heat five. The John Mullins-trained Aayamza Sydney set the fastest pace of the night, pulling away from rivals at the fourth turn to finish in a standout 33.56.
In the Ladbrokes Grand National heats, Ricky Holloway’s kennel dominated, claiming three of the four heats with Patterdale Zorro (23.51), Harlequin Ernie (23.58), and Signet Harper (23.58). Only Barry O’Sullivan’s Traceys Sydney (23.55) interrupted Holloway’s streak. Holloway’s kennel now holds an unprecedented eight of the 12 spots in the semi-finals, with six of his runners set to compete against one another in a highly anticipated face-off.
Droopys Plunge eclipses ‘The Bear’
Droopys Plunge went quickest of all in the first round of the Premier Greyhound Racing Eclipse at Nottingham. His victory was all the more impressive, coming at the expense of formidable rivals Barntick Bear and Newinn Syd.
Wicky Ned had already qualified from Heat 3, setting the standard with a 29.35. Jimmy Fenwick’s popular brindle made no mistake from the boxes (5.04 split) before railing to make all.
The performance of the night might be reserved for Patrick Janssen’s Romeo Steel who came under the bars (4.96 split) before holding off Phil Milner’s Avongate Venus in Heat 2.
