So, the championship is finally here, well for our group
anyway. Wednesday afternoon see’s the first leg of the Track Championship take
place for our group down at Brighton and Hove Greyhound Stadium. We face off
against Poole and Hove, with none of the 3 teams really standing out against each
other. In other groups, you can argue there is a ‘standout’ team, such as
Newcastle in the northern side. However here, I believe we are pretty equal
with Hove in terms of squad depth, with maybe Poole just lagging behind on the
quality side.
There are 10 heats of the championship Wednesday afternoon
(live on SIS), with the heats starting at Race 5 (15:28). We haven’t fared too
badly on the trap draws, and to be honest we should be looking to come out of
this leg with a decent point’s total. I do think that Hove will win, but we
should aim for as many points as possible, so we can land a blow at Swindon on
the 6th December.
Here, I will be giving my thoughts on each race, as well as
our chances for points;
15:28 – The BAGS Track Championship Sprint
My
Pick: Drink To That (Hove)
Sprints, as
I’ve spoken about before, are never going to be our strong point, however we
don’t look to have a particularly bad hand here. Drink To That, trained by Seamus Cahill, looks to have been
campaigned with this competition in mind, given his good form in D1 company at
Hove. Form beating Kizi is pretty decent, and consistently good times also help
his cause.
I think our
best hope here lies on the outside in Conahy Dasher. Ben McBride’s dog has been
running well in A2 company, showing good early pace, which seems to have
translated well to sprinting. The 16.58 first look round there is OK, it’s not
setting the world alight, however he should be able to improve on that. Given
the narrow bends at Hove, the inside Middle runners might be looking to cut in,
which could give him a nice run around the outside. Here’s hoping, anyway.
Recycled
Theo is an interesting pick that didn’t even enter my mind before this
competition in all honesty. I do remember the race in which he was
disqualified, which I was shocked at in all honesty. Since then, it looks as
though he’s training for a hurdle campaign, possibly the Springbok next year?
15:48 – The BAGS Track Championship Puppies
My
Pick: Forest White Boy (Swindon)
The puppy
division is one that I really thought we would struggle in, yet it turns out we
have, arguably, the strongest hand here. Forest
White Boy, trained by Neil Jones (who, by the way, has like a 400-odd mile
round journey to get to Brighton, hat’s off to him) looks to have a plum draw
on the outside of the group. To me, the only real obstacle will be getting
ahead of the 4 dog, Questhouse Rocky, who looks a really nice sort for Derek
Knight. I think White Boy, over this further trip, will be in his element, and
it wouldn’t surprise me to see him win this comfortably.
Ballyhill
Oscar certainly isn’t without a shout in here either. Matthew Dartnall’s black
has had a couple of decent spins round the track, and in turn won his A2 last
week in good fashion as well. The issue with him is that he is completely
devoid of early pace, meaning he’s always coming through walls of dogs. He has
the pace to get there and compete, but it’s hard to fully back him when you
know he has to do it the hard way. With the early outside him, he could find
his way to the front late on and nab some decent points for us.
16:08 – The BAGS Track Championship Dogs
My
Pick: Cashen Matteo (Poole)
3 different
team winners in the first 3 races? That’s what you call fair tipping! I’ve gone
for Cashen Matteo here, trained by
Alma Keppie down at Poole. He’s run at Hove several times before. You’ll see on
his card that he has the 1 OR win back in July, where he won (what was in all
honesty, a very poor maiden) in style, however got put in his place a bit on
the return visit by Droopys Odell. I think Matteo is a very decent dog, in this
sort of company that he has on Wednesday. He’s got our Swift Eugene on his
outside, who is as slow away as he is, with all the early pace in the race on
the rails. I see it that he gets a solo on the outside and lands a blow off the
3rd bend here.
I don’t think we’re without a chance here, but I think our best hope lies with Forest Hi Boy for Kevin Hutton. Hi Boy has been running fairly decently at Swindon, without landing that big win yet. He’s got some good times on his card, and has the benefit of a couple of looks round Hove. I can see him possibly getting squeezed a bit at the bend. In my view he needs to drop into 3rd or so (look after himself), then start his running down the back. He’s got a decent sort in Boltatwelldigger on his outside, so he’ll be wanting to try and lead him. Zara Two, who, in my view, looks to be the worthy favourite in this one, has the early pace to lead round too, so he doesn’t want to let him get a run early.
16:27 – The BAGS Track Championship Stayers
My
Pick: Ballyhill Amber (NAP, Swindon)
I’m really
confident going into this heat, after the performance that Amber put in a
couple of weeks ago over the trip. She looked like a completely different
bitch, trouncing a class field to win in 41.76. It was her early pace, and
all-round staying prowess that really impressed me. Fingers crossed she can
reproduce that sort of run at Hove. Her most recent performances there aren’t
exactly great, and she was relatively fancied in some of them too, but to me
she’s come back from her lay-off a different animal.
This isn’t
exactly an easy race to decipher, as there are a few greyhounds without recent
form over this demanding a trip. The 695, though the times are quicker than our
685, takes some getting, but is a trip you can win off the front or off the
back.
One
greyhound that fits this is Bua Paprika. The 41.68 trial time is superb,
however he has yet to do that sort of clock in a race there. Also, it’s easy to
do fast times in solo’s.
16:47 – The BAGS Track Championship Standard
My Pick: River Ace
This, in all honesty, isn’t a particularly good race for us.
Distant Everland, trained by Maurice Walsh, has a very peculiar trial line
round there from last week. A time of 31.00 is obviously poor, but a ‘CkRnIn’
comment is a bit weird. Fingers crossed it was just a case of not knowing where
he was, and getting used to his new surroundings. I did think that he would
make a cracking Hove 515m dog.
That’s My Hero is another that’s a bit of a mystery. To be
honest, I thought he would really struggle to see out the tough 515m trip, and
it looks as though that will be the case. I feel that, if they were running the
475m there as well as 515m, then he would’ve been a shoe in for that trip, but
515m is too far really. Potentially this is a pretty low scoring race for us
(in what is, arguably, a poor race), so any points here are a bonus.
As for the winner, I say look no further than the Poole dog
in 2, River Ace. Trainer Phil Chatfield seems to be getting the best out of
this dog, with good sub 27.00 runs recently in top grade round there. Though I
do believe that the quality of grade at Poole
has somewhat diminished, those sort of performances are going to put him in
good stead here.
One thing that has come to light in covering this card is
the lack of trials that the Poole dogs have had. Going from a particularly
tight, short track to Hove is a bit of a step up, and realistically you’d want
a look round there before you race there. It might work in their favour, it
might not, but at least our team can go there knowing that most of them have
had a good look round the track!
17:07 – The BAGS Track Championship Dogs
My Pick: Millwards Joker (NB, Hove)
Again, this is a pretty hard race for us, as the 2 dog in
here, my Next Best, looks to have been campaigned with this competition in
mind. Seamus’s dog has really good 29.80 runs recently in top grade at Hove, a
grade that really stands up against the best, This race is also seemingly
devoid of early pace, meaning he should go up on his home and win this
relatively easily.
In terms of our chances, I do think that Bezzas Boy has a
cracking draw on the wide outside. Matt Dartnall’s dog has been really hitting
the mark recently, shooting up the grades and posting a good 28.97 run last
time. He’s looking better each time he runs, and the trap draw here suits. I
hope he can improve on the rather flat sectional from his trial round Hove, as if he can track the leader round he might be
able to pick up some points.
The rest of the make up of the race is really based on
gathering as many points as possible. There are a few real ‘RanOn’ types in
there, hoping to snatch a place late on. Maui Hawk, for example (who, as a
follower of Hove, seems to have been around
forever!) is a real late-charging greyhound, so he’ll be one to watch at the
finish.
In the same breathe, it has to be argued that Millabbey
Terry is there for the same reason. He looked to me a complete Hove dog back in his A1 runs, running on strongly over
the 480m trip here. With a better trap draw, you could’ve made a bit of a case
for him. The issue is that 3 box, though at least the 2 should be out of the
way early enough. I reckon he could grab a few all-important points though.
17:22 – The BAGS
Track Championship Bitches
My Pick: Monleek Diamond (Hove)
This, in my mind, is the toughest race on the card. It’s a
4/1the field job this, with a case being made for just about all the girls
involved in this. I’ve sided with the top, Monleek Diamond, solely on the draw
and the hope that, if she gets round, she has a great chance of winning.
The makeup of the race actually really suits our two
runners, but it’s difficult to say whether one or the other will win it. It’s a
race where the other two teams have out-and-out early pace, whereas we have two
greyhounds who are going to be coming off the back.
Kingsmill Go ran an absolute stormer in an OR last week at
Hove. It doesn’t look much on the card, but the way she went about her business
was very impressive, and I reckon she could come on a bundle. If she can find a
few lengths (which, on her last run, wouldn’t be too difficult), she could come
through to win this easily, so long as there isn’t a wall of other greyhounds
to go through.
Sharp Exit, although her recent card doesn’t read
particularly well, always seems to be there or thereabouts in these
competitions. She’ll be running on like a steam train at the finish, just
fingers crossed that she can pick up some decent points!
17:38 – The BAGS
Track Championship Stayers
My Pick: Tennessee
Morning (Hove)
Another race where, barring the favourite, really the points
are anybody’s. Morning ran a superb race a few weeks back, winning an OR over
the 695m trip, bowling along up front to win in a good time of 41.60. That sort
of performance would see him land this one too.
On the same note, we have two greyhounds in here that
potentially have great chances. Portavoe Girl has experience on the OR circuit,
however she never really put in too great a performance. She has a win round
there, albeit in a pretty poor race. I do think that she has come on from then,
after a spell of lameness and building up her fitness in the A2 grades at Swindon. I think she can come on from that trial round
there and go well on the outside.
Rockmount Delta is a very interesting runner through the
middle for Paul Foster. Still a relatively unknown quantity, Delta trialled
very well a few weeks back, clocking 42.00 for our 685m trip. Although she
didn’t really get to stretch her legs in the S1 after her trial, you do feel
that she has potential over the trip. She hasn’t had a look either, meaning you
don’t really know what to expect from her going in. Will she run better fresh?
17:56 – The BAGS
Track Championship Standard
My Pick: Ericks Gav
*Please Note:
Since the original card came out, this race had to be re-drawn due to an
incorrect seeding on Kingsmill Anois. The correct line up for this race is as
follows:
1) Droopys Franklin
2) Kingsmill Anois
3) Ericks Gav
4) Droopys Bass
5) Athlacca Olympic (M)
6) Killacolla Lion (M)
This is a blinding race, with real quality going into the
traps for this one. I’m siding with Gav, as I think he’s the star of this
year’s team. Ben McBride’s charge has had a bit of a stop-start year, with
plenty of time off the track and not a lot on it. He posted a superb 28.13
earlier in the year in the Monmore Puppy Derby. However, since then it’s fair
to say he hasn’t really done a lot. Since being off for a couple of months, Gav
has come back to win a top A1 in a decent time, as well as showing what he’s
truly capable of in a cracking 29.99 first look at Hove. Looking at the
comments, he looks to have lost a couple of lengths just due to his
inexperience at the track. He should come on a bundle for the trial.
I wouldn’t be writing our other hopeful, Kingsmill Anois out
either. Anois is another who has really hit form recently, showing some good
early pace in his racing to end up in A1. His trial at Hove
wasn’t exactly ground-breaking, but it is a look nonetheless. He can come on
from that trial.
18.11 – The BAGS
Track Championship Bitches
My Pick: Hoof It Katie
Hoof It Katie is another one for Team Seamus (how it’s
looking anyway!) that has been laid out for this one. A progressive sort in
graded company, she’s another that likes to be on the bunny early. When she’s
paw perfect going into the bend, she can put in some decent performances,
including a recent 29.99 in an OR. It’s a case of lead round, and hope that a
certain Swindon raider isn’t waiting to
pounce!
Lady Jayne was making me well and truly scream at my
television last week. I fancied her quite strong in her race, and didn’t end up
betting her. Instead, I ended up watching a decent race, where she lost several
lengths around the bends due to bits of trouble, and she still ends up winning!
She’s a lass who’s always going to be there or there abouts, and is a real
asset to the team. I think it’s a case of more of the same here, so long as she
can track down the favourite (and my tip).
I’ll be honest, I don’t really rate Cimla Visa’s chances to
be very high here. She didn’t put in a particularly fast trial time, though it
is a track she’s run before. She has race form round there, coming 2nd
in an OR, though it was a very standard time. Fingers crossed she can get us
some decent points.
Happy Punting, and the best of luck to everyone involved! I’ll
be down at Hove, come along and say hello if you’re there!
Wattsy,
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