Monkey 509'er Final, BAGS/SIS Final Coverage

G'day folks! Feel I'm due another blog, with two finals coming up at Swindon during this week!


The BAGS/SIS 500 final certainly has got people, including the Racing Post talking. It seems as though there was some huge gamble landed on Primo Hotty, who you could back at 14/1 to win the competition, who was subsequently punted into 5/1. Somebody must've flashed a score at Billy Hill and they got scared!! In fairness, I think it's quite cool when this happens, as it really adds something to the final. Hotty was then punted for the heat and won in quite some style, and goes in as favourite on Friday. But anything can happen in dog racing!


Wednesday see's the Monkey 509er final take place and again the same thing has happened, with the supporting opens not filling. This happens all too often at Swindon and it is a bit of a headache. I think the OR market is very competitive nowadays, with Hove, Henlow, Romford and now Coventry offering full open cards. It's important that, if we want to sustain a decent OR book for ourselves, that, I feel, the following needs to happen:


> Every distance to be advertised
> Maidens, Puppy and Veteran's to be considered
> Prize Money increase.
> Regular Opens (obviously when they fill!) Meaning make Wednesday 'Swindon's' OR Day, like Hove/Henlow have done for Thurs, Romford for Friday's etc


Obviously, these are wishful thinking, but the increase in prize money has certainly worked for Sittingbourne in recent times, and Coventry are, I believe, going to set the standard for OR prize money, as I feel they will have no problem filling their opens.


As for the time being? I know it's a headache, but if you have a dog that is capable of competing on the OR level, then travel! Some may disagree with me on this, but I think that if the dog is capable and you wish to reach said dog's full potential, then you have to vary up it's card. Running constantly at Swindon, I'm sorry, isn't reaching a potentially brilliant dog's potential.


Anyway, after that little bit, here's my preview for the final(s)!


20:52 - The May Monkey 509er Final (Wednesday 16th May)
My Pick: Hernandez


A very good final indeed, and certainly one to get the brain working. For me, anyone could win it. However, I'm going to remain faithful in a Swindonite, in the form of Hernandez. Chris Stringer's dog always seems to get the better of me whenever I'm tipping opens! He ran really well in the heat, and the 509 trip seems to suit really well, and his change of seeding from a wide runner to middle is the right choice. Sawpit Sensation and Crusty Crab had a good tussle in the opening heat last week, and you've got to think that these two could also be there or thereabouts. Farley Totti is going to be my forecast link here. He's got a cracking rails draw and could get a pretty clear ride of it. 


16:27 - The BAGS/SIS 500 Final (Friday 18th May, live on SIS)
My Pick: Molineux Darcy


I will be honest here, I think Primo Hotty has it all going for it in the final. He's got the draw, the best time of the heat winners, and is the bookies favourite. However, if you're one to look outside the box (like moi), then I think Molineux Darcy could be a player. Trained by Pete Swadden, Darcy has some decent times on her clock, including a 29.15 some time ago now. She's got the trap one draw in the final, and she stays on well.