We have a real bonanza of open competitions this weekend, as well as a sprint event on Monday.
It is difficult to know where to start, but in chronological order, we have two big finals at Hove with a full open race card to boot on Saturday night.
Sunday afternoon stages the BGBF British Bred semi-finals at Towcester plus the final of the Bet365 Challenge Cup at Oxford.
To cap it all off, we have the semi-finals of the Arena Racing Company National Sprint at Nottingham (odds supplied are subject to change since the time of writing).
Coral Olympic
The first semi-final turned into a procession again, with Proper Heiress dominating from the outset.
His kennelmate Table Toppers followed in his wake to qualify in second.
The next saw Newinn Deejay make the running from a wide draw, with the rest, including favourite Silverhill Adam, looking for daylight in behind.
Missile One secured a clear run and chased him all the way, only one length adrift at the finish.
The last saw Underground Arlo from trap 1 squeeze through on the rail along the opening bends and kept his lead with Antigua Kestrel blocked off when trying to sneek past on his inside.
This allowed the favourite Moving Force to challenge on the run-in but had to settle for the runners-up spot.
It seems like “Harry” will be expected to retain his title after winning the Olympic last year.
Nevertheless, there is plenty of early pace in the race, though, so the opposition will be hoping he mistimes his break.
Deejay is the only other contender to achieve the sub-30 second barrier, so could be the one for the forecast or a place bet on the exchanges.
George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial
The extended six-bend final has an even shorter priced favourite in the enigmatic Mongys Wild.
Unless he gets held up when ready to challenge on the second circuit or has an off day, the race is at his mercy.
Let’s not forget last year’s winner Garfiney Blaze, who reminded us last week he’s not a spent force and will not go down without a battle.
Followers of my each-way selections have both Buddys Bullet and Deadly Disco running for us in this brilliant memorial line-up.
The former is an exciting pup who more than likely will attempt to steal an early advantage.
However, if Mongys Wild tucks in behind the leaders’ slipstream, it is probably ‘Goodnight Vienna!
Bet365 Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup final sponsored by Bet365 now takes place at Oxford. The competition relied on hand timing throughout, so the rating calculations takes them at face value.
Without split times, the top three sectional traps are based on average bend positions in their last two races.
If Eagles Respect can poach an early lead, he could well be the value against the favourite Vhagar, who is marginally odds-on at the moment.
BGBF British Bred Derby
It was with relief that this event was resurrected by the company Orchestrate and all the recent signs are positive that next year’s English Derby track will have a new lease of life.
British breeding is a valuable resource which must be supported whenever possible to help sustain the sport’s future.
The competition appears very wide open with all the main protagonists progressing through to the penultimate stage.
Romeo Alliance has a strong chance to take the first semi-final, providing he gets a safe passage around the opening turn with two previous round winners, Venetian Will and Izzys Tenpin, to contend with on his inside.
Keefill Rocky has fared well in the second and has the opening acceleration to get the better of his rivals.
The inexperienced Kick On Archie showed promise behind King Memphis and is one for the future.
I expect Coppice Lottie and Archie to challenge for the other qualification spot in behind.
The third semi-final is tough to call with three strong heat winners chasing only two qualifying places at stake.
King Memphis has an impressive strike rate and is a match for any adversary. It might be crucial to have Romeo Steel on his outside as there could be bunching in the run to the corner.
Keefill Goose was the fastest heat winner and will need to be on his toes to make the final, but has the benefit of trap 1 to assist his cause.
King Memphis can be hit and miss, but if back to his best, can win the event outright.
A win only bet at the prices is worth a punt. An each-way option is Keefill Rocky, who won the British Bred Derby when held at Sheffield last year.
He has a big chance to make another final and is not draw dependent with the possibility of an all railer affair.
Arena Racing Company National Sprint
Although there are relatively few category sprint competitions, that doesn’t diminish the excitement of this two-bend event at Nottingham, which started last Monday.
The only fancied speedster to miss out was Born Racer in the first heat. The races were all over after about 17 seconds, but the drama to follow was unprecedented.
The last heat went the way of the 7/1 favourite in the fastest of the night by Ballinakill Liam. It later transpired that traps 3 and 4 switched places.
It was just one of those twists of fate put down to human error. We all make mistakes at work and learn from the experience, and greyhound racing is no different.
The void race might have resulted in drawing lots, which is never a satisfactory solution.
However, Tom Heilbron and Richie Taberner have to be commended for withdrawing their runners to solve the problem.
The redraw on Tuesday morning produced a first semi-final consisting of three heat winners as well as the star sprinter Shadow Storm.
He lost out in second place to Toddys Wolf, who has an advantageous draw as the only winner in the second semi-final.
At 20/1, he’s each-way value against Ballinakill Liam at the head of the outright market.
In the last, Roanna Mamba is also underestimated at 12/1 and worth an additional wager in this category two contest.
READ MORE: Loxleys Forest bids to follow in Micky’s footsteps in Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup
