I get the feeling this may end up being a rather lengthy blog! Nevertheless, another page of ramblings from your's truly. First thing on the agenda is the new website, which has certainly divided opinion between people. The reason for the new website is that the old one, to be honest, was severely dated and (from an admin point of view) a nightmare to update. The new way in which to deliver racing information (the primary reason for the website) is now a lot more streamlined, and can be done from near enough anywhere (which helps greatly). I know a few people are having some trouble with the method in which the information is delivered. It's literally a case of clicking on the 'More Details' tab in the pop up bubble that comes up when you've clicked on an event. From there, there is a screen that has the attachments for the meeting, including the advance and results sheets. I'm hoping that full form could feature in time, however it's publication is out of my hands. It will take time to get used to, and it is a significant upgrade on the old one, but it will come!
Unfortunately this was the first weekend in rather a while that I was actually away from the track (holiday's are a novelty!), as I was attending the Irish Derby over at Shelbourne Park. I must say that the track itself is just superb, with a cracking running surface and facilities that are top notch. The prices and admission were very high. However, it shows that with the right promotion and advertising of a big race night at a nice venue, that people are willing to pay. The track itself must've made a fortune on the night, which is a credit to them as you can tell they worked their tailfeather's off to make the night a success. Things such as live music, tote promotions, and good grub all add up to an entertaining night out, and it does make you wonder why tracks don't invest in the whole entertainment package on offer to customers. A simple thing such as a disco after racing could do wonders for crowd numbers (and profit, obviously).
Talking to a few of the guys in the stands over there though, the picture looks just as bleak over that side of the sea. It's the same sort of situation there as it is here, in that the mid-week meetings just don't attract the general public (rather logical, really). Alas, promotion is saved for the big weekend meetings, with top grade racing taking centre stage. However, they are now finding that there are more 5 dog races and diminished crowds. The IGB's recent 5-year plan documentation, in my mind, only really scratched the surface of confronting the problems, without actually coming up with realistic, logical solutions. Anyone can say that prize money needs increasing, and another person can say that sponsorship needs to increase, however it's getting down to how we're going to achieve this that needs to be addressed.
Anyway, a look now at Friday's opens. The card itself is a really good card, with a decent little graded card under the opens. Hopefully the next competition can fill (over 509m) so we can be treated to another good night of open racing.
20:45 - The Lady Lane Sprint
My Pick: Lady Maud
This isn't exactly the hottest sprint race in the world, and I've basically broken all of my rules in following Lady Maud (Trap 1 in a sprint, aswell as no sprint race form) however it's hard to look beyond her in my eyes. She's been running out of her skin since coming back from lameness, putting in both cracking sectionals and good all-round performances. To me, she looks tailor made for sprinting, as she has some fab pace to the bend. Again, the issue is the lack of sprint open race form. However, with a tidy draw on the rails, on the inside of middle runners, she could be housed well here to win in style.
To me her main rival looks to be Vindepa in trap 5. Paul Foster's dog has been off the boil slightly in his last few races, including unfortunately taking a knock at the first last time out. However, when you look back through his form, he's more than capable of a big sprint run, and with the race being relatively weak, he could land a big blow here. He's certainly one to watch.
21:00 - The Lady Lane Standard
My Pick: Shelbourne Geoff
I'll be honest, I was getting a little bit worried when Geoff started trialling in, as he was doing more A4 times than the classy times he's known for putting in. Alas, it was good to see him winning the A1 well last Saturday (at a cracking price that I couldn't believe!). He's an older boy now, however class does last, and he's still running really well for Brian.
Chow for Now looks a big runner out wide for Kevin Hutton (good TV spot by the way). One big problem though is that awkward mark last time out at Romford. A mark in an open race I always take more seriously, as the Racing Manager will be looking at a dog that he probably doesn't know too well. In what is just my opinion, I think that a Racing Manager can gauge what a greyhound is like when they're running graded constantly at the track. Alas, this must've been a bit of an incident. I haven't actually seen the race in question, as such I don't have an opinion on the greyhound. Hopefully he's just a dog that will appreciate a switch in track to keep his mind on the game. Using this logic, he could be a big runner here.
Trap 2 here looks to be an interesting runner, Skywalker Kate. Paul Sallis' runner has some really good Irish form on her card, however things don't seem to have gone to plan on this side of the water. The thing with greyhounds such as this is that you're always expecting a big run from them at some point, as they're obviously capable. I envisage she'll go off near favourite here.
21:15 - The Lady Lane Stayers
My Pick: Gemstone Meg (NAP)
Nap time here, in the form of Gemstone Meg. In reading the race, I'm of the belief that the 3 will obviously lead round. With the 1 dog being so slow away, I'm thinking that Meg will go round in about 2nd/3rd. From here, she should be able to assert and win this race in my mind. Whenever I've seen her in stayers races, she's had a lot of traffic problems, and doesn't get the race to go her way. In this one, so long as all the stars align, she shouldn't have any excuses.
The 6 dog, Silverton Blaze, is always one to have in the back of your mind over this sort of trip. Maurice Walsh's greyhound is capable of awesome performances over this trip, so long as he traps and gets on the bunny early. His 13.66 split and 41.70 time on the card is proof that he's capable of wiping the floor with this field on his day.
Sharp Exit is also another lass to consider here, possibly for your trio's and forecast's. Paul Foster's girl has always put in good performances over the trip, and seems to be running really well at the moment, however the performances have never equated to good wins over the trip. Her form is top draw though, and will see all of this 685m trip out.
21:30 - The Lady Lane 509 Maiden
My Pick: Jet Stream Bolt
Jet Stream Bolt, the ex Institute, looks to make his mark on the UK scene with his debut here. His Irish form is just awesome, with a 28.55 (calc) time over the 480m at Tralee (before going, the 5th fastest time round there this year). He's put in some decent trials over here, including a pacey 28.62 here last week. This 509m trip also looks tailor made for him. The obvious target for this year I would guess is the Essex Vase at Romford.
The big stumbling block with backing him would be 1) He'll be a seriously short price, and 2) the draw is pretty bad. Trap 5, with 5 railers in the race, could make the first bend a potentially tricky area.
Due to this, trap 6, Fridays Turbo, could be a handy runner for Lynn Short. Turbo has only just graded in over here, posting what has to be said are a standard set of times. He does have 31.82 over at Lifford for there 526m trip, so he'll be seeing out all of this trip. If he's handy into the bend, so long as he doesn't find any trouble himself, he could be a big runner on the outside.
21:45 - The Swindon Friday Night Standard Final
My Pick: Longwood Bound (NB)
This is a cracking little final we have on offer, and some good winning prize money too. The very best of luck to all 6 runners.
Watching the two heats back, you can't help but be impressed by Longwood Bound. He put in an awesome 2.32 split to lead all the way in a decent time. As I've said before in the blog, class does carry through, and he's certainly a classy dog when it all goes his way. He's a finalist of the Arc and the Sussex Cup this year, and Colin Callow has a plot pitch as the sole wide runner in this final, with Kaipo most probably turning left on the run up.
Not knowing the dog completely, however if he has to lead all the way he could have a bit of a problem with Witcombe 'The Swindon Bullet' Dilemma in trap 4. Dilemma posted one of the fastest splits ever on Monday with a 2.23 (the record is 2.20) to be a few lengths clear off the 2nd. What's always going to curtail him winning is his lack of staying power, which Longwood Fantasy took full advantage of on Monday. However, it's always better to be out in front in a big race, so you have to respect Dilemma's chances.
Best of luck everyone!
Happy Punting!
Wattsy,
No comments:
Post a Comment