The announcement of the BAGS track championship is a big bonus to head into the end of the year with. With £200,000 worth of prize money up for, it does give owners and trainers a chance of winning some really decent prize money and compete for top honors in a competition. The rules have changed a little bit from last year. This time around, we are in with Hove and Poole, and there are now 10 races to compete in. The races are:
1 x Sprint (250m Poole, 285m Hove + Swindon)
2 x Standard (450m Poole, 480m Swindon, 515m Hove)
2 x Standard (Dogs)
2 x Standard (Bitches)
1 x Standard (Puppy) (greyhound under 2 years old at date of event)
2 x Stayer (640m Poole, 685m Swindon, 695m Hove)
The legs of the races are:
Hove - Wednesday 6th November 2013
Poole - Saturday 23rd November 2013
Swindon - Friday 6th December 2013
All in all, I think we have a pretty decent chance to qualify for the grand final, which takes place at Sheffield on Monday 23rd December 2013. Hove is an ideal track for us to go to, as it's a good galloping track that our dogs should suit really well. Poole, as was the case with last year, is always going to be a bit of a headache, as it's a tight, short track which, in comparison to Swindon, is a massive difference.
In terms of the competition itself, I think the ones to beat will be Newcastle. There grade is very strong, and it seems as though they aim for this competition all year by cementing their top A1's. Their recent introduction of sprints will also be of benefit to them.
I hope to have a more in depth look at our potential squad in a blog further down the line. However, I will look into the two tracks that we're going to:
Poole - 250,450,640m
Poole is a track that we know pretty well from past Championships. It's a tight circuit, with a fairly long run up to the first bend. That bend in particular is a tough one, as it doesn't have lots of camber on it to keep the wide runners in. Dogs who haven't had a trial here often find themselves going in OK, but end up getting lost coming off the second. One big positive to Poole is that they use the same curved front, roll on-off traps that we use here, which is a big bonus for our early starters.
The 450m trip has a good long run up, however you do have to be able to get home off the last, as the run to the line is quite significant. The 640m trip is smack on the bend down there. Again, getting out in front can be useful. The sprint trip, on the other hand, has an especially long run into the first. I've always favored a greyhound who has the early pace to get into the bend handy, rather than a pin
The key to Poole in my eyes is getting out in front. Early pace is the name of the game at Wimborne Road. The local runners are always within a shout, as it's a track that you have to be used to,
Last year we ended up doing well very down there, so hopefully there's more of the same this time.
Hove - 285,515,695m
Hove is personally my favourite track in the country (barring Swindon, obviously!). It's a really good test of a greyhound, with it's long straights and banked bends. It's 515m trip is a great, safe gallop, with one of the best racing surfaces either side of the water. They have a plethora of talent on their graded strength, with some top class trainers too. They will be a force to be reckoned with in the competition, however I do think that we can pick up some decent points down at Nevill Road.
The track itself has a long run up to the bend, and a good long back straight too. The bends are actually rather narrow, however they're well cambered to keep the runners in. Passing, in my mind, is best made on the straights. Over 515m, you can win off the back or out in front, it's a very fair, yet demanding trip. The 695m does take some getting mind, a good stayer here is a must.
The 640 at Poole is the same starting position as the 250 ie not on the bend.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true. My bad. Think I was thinking of Hove.
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