Already, we find ourselves at the semi-final stage of the
Produce Stakes?! Unbelievable stuff really. These competitions seem to
absolutely fly by. The obvious favourite for the competition is Johnnys Boy, tipped up at 5/1 at the
start of the competition by yours truly. The key to him is that, in my opinion,
he’s a class above the field. I don’t often judge a dog solely on times, however the 2nd round really summed up this thinking. Whilst the
likes of Klockwork Korker etc. were looking good in winning their heats, they
are still about 5 lengths off the pace of Johnnys Boy. The one issue, and when it gets to this stage of the
competition it’s when it starts to bite, is when the dog comes up against an
issue, or a particularly bad draw/predicament. Fortunately, as you will fathom
from the preview, I still don’t think this is the case in this race, which
should see him win again.
One issue I have about this competition, however, is the
whole ‘2 go through’ scenario for the semi-final stage. I’ve never been a fan
of it. I do think a semi-final should be that the first three go through to the
final. However, I do understand that this would also mean the competition
having to be whittled down somewhat etc. It just seems that you do the hard
work to get to this stage, and then you have to finish in a forecast position
to get through. Just a minor gripe!
A lot of questions have been asked about the general running
of the Produce Stakes, which I will go into a little further down this blog:
15:58 – The Produce Semi Final – Heat 1
My
Pick: Johnnys Boy (NAP)
Looking at
the race as a whole, I really can’t see there being too many obstacles for Johnnys Boy to overcome here. The only
potential issue could be the 4 dog, Yorkshire Coral, taking some of his ground
going into the first bend, as he’s got a tendency to cut the bend somewhat.
However, this really should be plain sailing.
As for the second qualifier, that really is a toughie! I do think there are about 3 that are within a shout of getting through. Realistically, I don’t think the 1 or the 6 are at the same level as the other greyhounds in this one. My vote will go with Klockwork Korker for the 2nd qualifying place. Korker put in a brilliant trap-to-line performance in the 2nd round, producing a good 28.64, but more importantly a 2.40 split. Looking at the card, I think he’s got a plum draw with 2 slow starters either side of him. Obviously, Romeo Hi Rumble will be coming with a late charge, however I think Korker could be long gone by then. I’m not saying he’ll beat Johnnys Boy, however he’s certainly the best drawn barring the favourite.
16:18 – The Produce Semi Final – Heat 2
My
Pick: Klockwork Kaipo
I’ll be the
first to admit, I think I’ve underestimated just how fast this dog is. In the
heat, he destroyed a top field, winning by over 3 lengths in a decent 28.55. Klockwork Kaipo, above all, as a superb
draw on the outside of 5 railers. He’ll move in himself mind, and he’ll have to
look after himself going into the first bend. However, given the possibility of
some scrimmaging on his inside, he should see this opposition off well.
Son of
Delboy, for Stuart Buckland, is my other qualifier in this. Although he has
a terrible draw in trap 5, he’s one of the most consistent trapper’s I’ve ever
seen over a 4 bend trip. Any resemblance of a 2.28 split here should see him
clear of the inside runners early, where he can then move over towards a rails
pitch and go on from there. He’s not the best finisher in the world mind, and
against the better opposition he could find himself struggling to get home. The
good going will help here, mind.
16:37 – The Produce Semi Final – Heat 3
My
Pick: Cimla Superstar
If anything,
I would say that this is the weakest of the 3 semi-finals, with (in my mind)
two obvious qualifiers. Cimla Superstar,
trained by Neil Jones, has really come on leaps and bounds in this competition.
I’m a big fan of hers, and the fact that she’s got a good kick of early, but
that she flies home as well. To me, she has a cracking make up here, in between
two sleepers at the boxes. So long as she can stay consistent to her split
times, she’ll qualify from this heat with ease.
The other
qualifier, to me, is Kay Gee Bee.
Tipped up last week by yours truly, I thought he ran a stormer after one again
flopping out of the boxes. His track craft is absolutely awesome, and he made
up some serious ground on Yorkshire Coral last week (5 ¼ lengths looks bad, but
it wasn’t considering the amount of lengths he left at the traps and around the
2nd).
By my tips
then, that makes it 4 railers, 1 middle and 1 wide that should make it through
to the final on Saturday 20th July 2013.
The
competition itself, and as we draw nearer to the conclusion of this year’s
offering, questions beginning to mount about the long-term future of the competition
and the way it is handled.
For one, I
do think that the date needs to be changed. I think this July slot, although
the weather at the moment is fab, is far too early, and it plays as a
disadvantage to the later whelps. There are some dogs in this competition that
are literally on about their 20th odd race of their career,
basically a seasoned campaigner already, whereas there are some runners that
have barely started their careers. I know you are going to get this scope in
ages when you’re running a competition such as this; however the problem can be
helped somewhat by running the competition later. Personally, my thoughts were
how brilliant it could’ve been to have had a TV Trophy/Produce Stakes double
header on that 4th September Sky slot. Alas, that wasn’t meant to
be!
Another
thing to consider would also be the coverage aspect of the competition. Having
the competition on SIS/BAGS this year has been a big plus, as it allows you to
reach an audience that you otherwise wouldn’t running the competition locally
on Friday/Saturday nights. However, as a promotion of British Breeding, and
being THE competition for British Breeders in the whole calendar, it would be
great to have a Sky slot to promote the event. I know these slots are limited,
and to be honest we should be most thankful that we even have Sky coverage at
the moment. However, this is the marquee event of the British Breeding
calendar, and to big this up somewhat, and give the finalists and other
greyhounds the coverage and promotion they otherwise wouldn’t receive, this
could really revitalize the British Breeding sector.
People have asked me about the prize money in the competition, and I must say I think the prize money is actually very good, and should be kept at the same level. Yes, if there is the allowance there to make it bigger, then increase it. However, as a Cat 1 it is up there with the St. Leger in terms of prize money.
One thing I
would seriously be looking at, however, is the entry process of the
competition. It boggles me even thinking about it, and to be truthful I think
half the reason why a few didn’t enter was because they weren’t entered at
certain stages. In an era where we have central databases, and credit cards,
and all those other technological advances, why not develop a form of online
entry, where people can pay directly, without all the hassle of cheques, and
missing signatures etc. It would just save a lot of hassle, and actually bring
the competition up to 21st century standards!
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