First of all, I must say thank you for the brilliant reponse to these blog posts. I've been inundated with people's opinions and who they think, and it's certainly got people talking, which is excellent.
I must also mention a couple of other dogs that I had forgot to mention in previous blogs, that admittedly have put in some good runs recently:
Lady Maud: Obviously for the bitches division, her EP is sublime. Poole and Oxford will be right up her street
Primo Impact: He won a decent D1 on Saturday and looked brilliant for the run. So long as he runs Friday, I think going from a sprint race to a sprint race, rather than switching back to four bends, will mean that he runs even better. I must also say the same for Sparta Johnny. I still stand by him as a choice. The whole running in consecutive sprints argument could also bring up the belief that many sprinters don't miss the break twice!
Wood Bionic: Another pup!!! Darryl Porter's charge, although relatively inexperienced, has been running well recently, and should be a contender.
Right then, off we go with the dogs:
Sligo Mick - Hutton - Top grade performer, also capable of a smash break. I reckon a new track could do wonders for him. Consistent!
Primo Ryan - Stringer - Love this dog, his pace to the bend is superb and, when he's on the bunny, he's a speed machine
Hoots Mon - Hutton - I was amazed to find this dog is still a maiden! Has some cracking times on his card. On the comeback trail.
Ice Trooper - Dartnall - Has made some good progress recently and put in some good performances.
Eruption - Porter - Recently won the Owner's Bonus Series A2 event. He has cracking early pace, and really loves the rails. Will love the tighter tracks
Riverdale Spiros - Hutton - On the comeback trial after being off the track for some time. Ran really well in winning an A2 last time out. Has the benefit of a previous trial at Poole, I believe he posted 27.10 ish for his first look round.
Black Beach - Hutton - Again, a potential candidate. Cracking dog on the bunny.
There is a big pool of talent we have over the standard trips, so fingers crossed we can field a strong team. The first leg starts this Friday at home, so we need to kick on with a bang.
Just a quick thing aswell. Some comments coming out of these blogs is that the dogs being highlighted are from certain kennels, and is rather biased. I just wanted to clarify where I'm coming from with this blog. I have literally looked at the best dogs that Swindon can field for this competition. Although the competition is on the BAGS service, where we find that all grades run week in, week out, the competition really is designed for those top end dogs that are still maidens. It's in this regard that, realistically, we find that the top end dogs come from specific tracks. It's no secret that the Hutton kennel are 9/10 double-entered for A2's, because they have so many. It's no my fault that certain camps have the majority of the top grade strength. I feel I've used a big pool of trainers as best as I can in looking at potential candidates.
Remember, this Friday, up at Blunsdon. Be there, with your scarfs. hats etc to cheer home Team Swindon!
Monday, 29 October 2012
Monday, 22 October 2012
The BAGS/SIS Intertrack - Bitches
Here we go then with a look at the bitches division. I do think that this is where we are strongest, and certainly where we should be looking at getting out big points.
The joy of our division is that we have a lot of ping-gone type's, but that don't necessarily see out the tough 480m trip at Swindon.
Mercurial Lady - Kevin Hutton
A standout contender here. Lady has just come back from a spell on the sidelines and has come back to compete at top level. She has cracking early pace, and would lead most out of the second bend. She's very game when she's on the bunny, and it will take a good dog to pass her over a good 450m trip. She doesn't quite see out the 480 at Swindon, so the step down at other tracks will be ideal. Getting a couple of good trials into her is a must. I also think, if needs must, she could sprint.
Hula Sparkle - John Peterson
If I'm allowed to say my particular favorites, one of this is Hula Sparkle. John Peterson's bitch again struggles to deal with the tough 480 at Swindon, but again would do wonders over a 450m distance. She has some cracking early pace, and again it'll take a good dog to lead her.
Active Lark - Kevin Hutton
Our little gem from last year's intertrack. Larkie is still running at the very top of her game, winning her last two A2's. Amazingly, she looks like she's running on alot stronger in her elder years, whereas she always used to be an EP machine. She's got to be a contender for us, especially after winning at Oxford last year!
Tarty Toes - John Peterson
Seems as though JP and KH are dominating here! Believe me, I have others! Tarty Toes is another EP merchant, running in some really good A2's at Swindon. She's been open racing at Coventry and Oxford, so she has the benefit of a look round (and, in fairness, I'm told a very good run considering).
Kays To Blame - Alan McDowell
When on her game, Blame is an absolute machine, and will take all the catching. She most recently picked up a huge win in A2, posting 28.82. Since then she hasn't been in her best form, however a freshen up at Poole or Oxford might do the trick!
Perles Minaj - Ray Jones
Minaj has had a terrific start to her career on English soil. Again, a big early pace runner, she has shot up the grades to A1, posting some great times in the process. Her split times are brilliant, and again should be a big runner in this competition.
Color Card - Sonia Hughes
Although she isn't running at her top form at the moment, shes a cracking early pace bitch. Card looks to be really itching for a shorter trip, and the 450 circuits look ideal for her. Again, she's a hard bitch to pass in front
This is my main list of contenders, although there are plenty more that could do a brilliant job for us. One I will quick a quick mention to is Forest Mollie, who seems to have people talking at Swindon. She's won her last two A1's in some style and looks a classy bitch. The reason I haven't included her on the list is that, I'll be honest, the Oaks has to be on her radar over this competition.
I'll look to cover the dogs in the coming week. Remember, it's a week Friday that the competition starts (amazing it's come round so quickly!), so lets get off to a bang next week.
And yes, I most certainly got my lists mixed up with Black Beach! (Thanks Mr. Hutton!)
Happy Punting!
Chris.
The joy of our division is that we have a lot of ping-gone type's, but that don't necessarily see out the tough 480m trip at Swindon.
Mercurial Lady - Kevin Hutton
A standout contender here. Lady has just come back from a spell on the sidelines and has come back to compete at top level. She has cracking early pace, and would lead most out of the second bend. She's very game when she's on the bunny, and it will take a good dog to pass her over a good 450m trip. She doesn't quite see out the 480 at Swindon, so the step down at other tracks will be ideal. Getting a couple of good trials into her is a must. I also think, if needs must, she could sprint.
Hula Sparkle - John Peterson
If I'm allowed to say my particular favorites, one of this is Hula Sparkle. John Peterson's bitch again struggles to deal with the tough 480 at Swindon, but again would do wonders over a 450m distance. She has some cracking early pace, and again it'll take a good dog to lead her.
Active Lark - Kevin Hutton
Our little gem from last year's intertrack. Larkie is still running at the very top of her game, winning her last two A2's. Amazingly, she looks like she's running on alot stronger in her elder years, whereas she always used to be an EP machine. She's got to be a contender for us, especially after winning at Oxford last year!
Tarty Toes - John Peterson
Seems as though JP and KH are dominating here! Believe me, I have others! Tarty Toes is another EP merchant, running in some really good A2's at Swindon. She's been open racing at Coventry and Oxford, so she has the benefit of a look round (and, in fairness, I'm told a very good run considering).
Kays To Blame - Alan McDowell
When on her game, Blame is an absolute machine, and will take all the catching. She most recently picked up a huge win in A2, posting 28.82. Since then she hasn't been in her best form, however a freshen up at Poole or Oxford might do the trick!
Perles Minaj - Ray Jones
Minaj has had a terrific start to her career on English soil. Again, a big early pace runner, she has shot up the grades to A1, posting some great times in the process. Her split times are brilliant, and again should be a big runner in this competition.
Color Card - Sonia Hughes
Although she isn't running at her top form at the moment, shes a cracking early pace bitch. Card looks to be really itching for a shorter trip, and the 450 circuits look ideal for her. Again, she's a hard bitch to pass in front
This is my main list of contenders, although there are plenty more that could do a brilliant job for us. One I will quick a quick mention to is Forest Mollie, who seems to have people talking at Swindon. She's won her last two A1's in some style and looks a classy bitch. The reason I haven't included her on the list is that, I'll be honest, the Oaks has to be on her radar over this competition.
I'll look to cover the dogs in the coming week. Remember, it's a week Friday that the competition starts (amazing it's come round so quickly!), so lets get off to a bang next week.
And yes, I most certainly got my lists mixed up with Black Beach! (Thanks Mr. Hutton!)
Happy Punting!
Chris.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
The BAGS/SIS Intertrack - Puppies
Now this has been rattling my brain all week. I've been really trying to gather together a good list of pups that could run for us, and I must say the list isn't particularly long.
For this, I've literally looked at what we have available at the moment that is running on the card. I figure that, for the first round, there can be an extra graded run or so. Genuinely, our puppy strength is pretty poor.
It will be a problem, no doubt, for the majority of tracks as there is an obvious decline in the number of new dogs being bought in. Still, it provides a headache for the Team Leader nonetheless.
Just a reminder about the criteria:
> Pups must be December '10 or younger.
> Must be OR maidens.
> Must have 5 graded races.
Downton Flyer - Matt Dartnall
To me, this is the absolute stand out of the pups we have running at Swindon. Flyer has, quite literally, been flying up the grades, and has posted some truly brilliant times to get up to A1 grade. In this last race, however, he hit the rails into the bend, I hope he hasn't come off sore, as this could be a massive blow to our chances.
Shelbourne Louie - Brian King
Brian's runner here Shelbourne Louie looks to also be a handy contender for the division. The good thing about the dog is that he has previously run at Oxford in graded company, reaching A2 there. He's perhaps not a top grade dog, but he fits the bill!
Lady Jayne - Matt Dartnall
Another contender for the Dartnall camp here in Lady Jayne. Hopefully she's hitting her form at the right time, as she ran a super race on Friday night, winner by over 4 lengths.
Sharp Exit - Paul Foster
Admittedly not really suited to Poole or Oxford, Exit has been sprinting in the last couple of weeks to blow some cobwebs off. She'll need one more graded run before she's eligible, which I think should be on the cards to get her eligible, as she's a credible point stealer for us.
Aside from these four, in all honesty, I'm really struggling to think of pups that will be ready for the start of the competition. You do have some, however, that look pretty decent:
Yoga Man - Matt Dartnall
Matt had better get that van serviced, I think he's going to be needed! Yoga Man ran a really good race on debut last week, showing fab early and posting a good time. However, this was his first race. Ideally you would've wanted to see him yesterday to build the card up a bit, because now it's going to be at least a month until he'll be eligible to run.
Lughill Bryan - Hayley Keightly
Bryan is just trialling on at Swindon, and has produced some really decent times for a youngster (can't think of his age off the top of my head). Again, however, it's the time constraint of the comp now, which means he won't be on in time.
If you have any additional thoughts on the pups at hand, do comment on the blog, or tweet, or facebook me, or even through word of mouth, anyway you wish to comment feel free to do so.
I will be covering the Bitches division in the next blog, which I hope to complete in the middle part of next week. This is the division that I feel we are strongest in.
Remember, Tuesday will be the last trial day before the sprint competition that is due to start next Saturday. The blog last week proved to be a lively talking point, with a real 50/50 split on feelings about it. I think there was also some confusion over my wordings on my feelings. My opinion was that a 2 round, £250 to the winner competition for both Sprinters and Stayers was a good idea, not 3 rounds for the same money. Just to clear that up!
Also, a quick well done to Crinkill Jewell and the Hutton Camp on winning the Kent St. Leger at Crayford last Saturday.
Happy Punting!
Chris Watts
For this, I've literally looked at what we have available at the moment that is running on the card. I figure that, for the first round, there can be an extra graded run or so. Genuinely, our puppy strength is pretty poor.
It will be a problem, no doubt, for the majority of tracks as there is an obvious decline in the number of new dogs being bought in. Still, it provides a headache for the Team Leader nonetheless.
Just a reminder about the criteria:
> Pups must be December '10 or younger.
> Must be OR maidens.
> Must have 5 graded races.
Downton Flyer - Matt Dartnall
To me, this is the absolute stand out of the pups we have running at Swindon. Flyer has, quite literally, been flying up the grades, and has posted some truly brilliant times to get up to A1 grade. In this last race, however, he hit the rails into the bend, I hope he hasn't come off sore, as this could be a massive blow to our chances.
Shelbourne Louie - Brian King
Brian's runner here Shelbourne Louie looks to also be a handy contender for the division. The good thing about the dog is that he has previously run at Oxford in graded company, reaching A2 there. He's perhaps not a top grade dog, but he fits the bill!
Lady Jayne - Matt Dartnall
Another contender for the Dartnall camp here in Lady Jayne. Hopefully she's hitting her form at the right time, as she ran a super race on Friday night, winner by over 4 lengths.
Sharp Exit - Paul Foster
Admittedly not really suited to Poole or Oxford, Exit has been sprinting in the last couple of weeks to blow some cobwebs off. She'll need one more graded run before she's eligible, which I think should be on the cards to get her eligible, as she's a credible point stealer for us.
Aside from these four, in all honesty, I'm really struggling to think of pups that will be ready for the start of the competition. You do have some, however, that look pretty decent:
Yoga Man - Matt Dartnall
Matt had better get that van serviced, I think he's going to be needed! Yoga Man ran a really good race on debut last week, showing fab early and posting a good time. However, this was his first race. Ideally you would've wanted to see him yesterday to build the card up a bit, because now it's going to be at least a month until he'll be eligible to run.
Lughill Bryan - Hayley Keightly
Bryan is just trialling on at Swindon, and has produced some really decent times for a youngster (can't think of his age off the top of my head). Again, however, it's the time constraint of the comp now, which means he won't be on in time.
If you have any additional thoughts on the pups at hand, do comment on the blog, or tweet, or facebook me, or even through word of mouth, anyway you wish to comment feel free to do so.
I will be covering the Bitches division in the next blog, which I hope to complete in the middle part of next week. This is the division that I feel we are strongest in.
Remember, Tuesday will be the last trial day before the sprint competition that is due to start next Saturday. The blog last week proved to be a lively talking point, with a real 50/50 split on feelings about it. I think there was also some confusion over my wordings on my feelings. My opinion was that a 2 round, £250 to the winner competition for both Sprinters and Stayers was a good idea, not 3 rounds for the same money. Just to clear that up!
Also, a quick well done to Crinkill Jewell and the Hutton Camp on winning the Kent St. Leger at Crayford last Saturday.
Happy Punting!
Chris Watts
Friday, 12 October 2012
The BAGS/SIS Intertrack - Stayers Division
I want to start this blog in a different fashion, and bring it back to the sprinting division that I covered last time.
This week, the track announced a sprinting competition will take place, with a grand prize of £500 to the winner. The aim is to have a 24 greyhound event over three rounds, with the finalist then, in my mind at least, giving the track a good six greyhounds to work with for the Inter track competition. Although I think the initiative is very good, I must say I do think it would have worked better had the total prize fund were split in half, and instead have two different sweepstakes go ahead. One for sprinters, and the other for stayers. If you made them 18 dog events with the first two through, then again you'd have some decent greyhounds to work with for the competition, but you'd be covering two events. Just a thought.
So, the stayers division. It's a funny division to have to fathom out really. When you think of our stayers, you look at the 685m trip and think you need a greyhound that really see's the distance out well. For the case of the two tracks we're visiting, that isn't necessarily the case. Poole's 640m takes a bit of getting, but like the other trips round there, it relies on an awful lot of early pace to kick round in front. The same can most definitely be said for Oxford's 595m trip, which is right on their 3rd bend, meaning you need a dog with early (preferably a railer) that can get in front early on. This, I feel, makes selecting a team a bit tricky.
What worked well last year was going with someone with relative inexperience. If you can recall last year, Silverton Blaze hadn't been over the trip before apart from a trial, yet was something of a revelation when he bagged the home leg in style. I think this year it's going to be more of the same. I feel we have to look at our 4 bend graded strength and see who could possibly stay on for those few more meters.
The actual stayers division itself at the moment isn't really of the class that is required to bag the points in the competition (remember, my opinion, don't flame me for it!). We haven't ran a decent S1 in a while, and most of our 6 bend races are in the S2 grade, and to be honest amongst them aren't really top class runners.
Here are some runners, however, that I've had a thought about:
Gemstone Billy: Kevin Hutton's runner has been over the 6 bend trip recently, and has shown some decent early over that trip. He's been running against rather hard competition, however, and it's yet to be seen whether in top class he'd be a runner. Another issue may be adjusting to the tracks in question, as he seemed to take a while to settle at Swindon
Bramley Rebel: JP's runner here I reckon could be a little firecracker over a short 6 bends. Rebel ran last night in a maiden at Hove, and while it was only his first look, he took to the track really well, running on for a gallant 2nd. He's consistantly running on well over the 480m trip, and I have an inkling he'd stay well over the 595 and 640 trips. It might well be worth a go.
Marilyns Star: Although maybe not on the tip of everyone's tongues, I reckon Chris Stringer's bitch could be our hidden gem. She's not had alot of racing over here, however she's progressive. She had an OR win in Ireland over the 686m trip, so you expect her to stay well.
Oh Pretty Woman: I have a real soft spot for Ray Evan's bitch. She doesn't see out the 685m at Swindon, however again over a shorter trip I reckon she'd be a real player. What she is, is a real game bitch, who will give her all in a race. She could be a potential point-stealer for us.
Ardmayle Candy: The Stringer camp seem to have a wealth of talent that can run on strong, and Candy seems to fit the 'under the radar' bill well. She's hit a good patch of form recently, putting in some great times over the 480m and running on with it. Again, worth a punt over a short 6?
Call Poacher: Jim Little's runner looks destined to be a big runner over the 6 bend trip, and ran a really good race over the 685m recently, just being beat by Oneco Jewel. Poacher is also pretty young and progressive, so could be a candidate over the trip for Team Swindon.
Ardmayle Move: Another for Team Stringer here. Move ran a very good S2 race last Saturday, posting 41.70 calc. Again, a progressive sort who could come on over 6 for that run.
There are a few thoughts that I've had about the division. If you have any opinions etc, feel free to post a comment on the bottom of this blog.
Next up I'll be looking at the Standard Puppy division, which looks to be one of the hardest to fathom a team from.
Until then, happy punting!
Chris Watts
This week, the track announced a sprinting competition will take place, with a grand prize of £500 to the winner. The aim is to have a 24 greyhound event over three rounds, with the finalist then, in my mind at least, giving the track a good six greyhounds to work with for the Inter track competition. Although I think the initiative is very good, I must say I do think it would have worked better had the total prize fund were split in half, and instead have two different sweepstakes go ahead. One for sprinters, and the other for stayers. If you made them 18 dog events with the first two through, then again you'd have some decent greyhounds to work with for the competition, but you'd be covering two events. Just a thought.
So, the stayers division. It's a funny division to have to fathom out really. When you think of our stayers, you look at the 685m trip and think you need a greyhound that really see's the distance out well. For the case of the two tracks we're visiting, that isn't necessarily the case. Poole's 640m takes a bit of getting, but like the other trips round there, it relies on an awful lot of early pace to kick round in front. The same can most definitely be said for Oxford's 595m trip, which is right on their 3rd bend, meaning you need a dog with early (preferably a railer) that can get in front early on. This, I feel, makes selecting a team a bit tricky.
What worked well last year was going with someone with relative inexperience. If you can recall last year, Silverton Blaze hadn't been over the trip before apart from a trial, yet was something of a revelation when he bagged the home leg in style. I think this year it's going to be more of the same. I feel we have to look at our 4 bend graded strength and see who could possibly stay on for those few more meters.
The actual stayers division itself at the moment isn't really of the class that is required to bag the points in the competition (remember, my opinion, don't flame me for it!). We haven't ran a decent S1 in a while, and most of our 6 bend races are in the S2 grade, and to be honest amongst them aren't really top class runners.
Here are some runners, however, that I've had a thought about:
Gemstone Billy: Kevin Hutton's runner has been over the 6 bend trip recently, and has shown some decent early over that trip. He's been running against rather hard competition, however, and it's yet to be seen whether in top class he'd be a runner. Another issue may be adjusting to the tracks in question, as he seemed to take a while to settle at Swindon
Bramley Rebel: JP's runner here I reckon could be a little firecracker over a short 6 bends. Rebel ran last night in a maiden at Hove, and while it was only his first look, he took to the track really well, running on for a gallant 2nd. He's consistantly running on well over the 480m trip, and I have an inkling he'd stay well over the 595 and 640 trips. It might well be worth a go.
Marilyns Star: Although maybe not on the tip of everyone's tongues, I reckon Chris Stringer's bitch could be our hidden gem. She's not had alot of racing over here, however she's progressive. She had an OR win in Ireland over the 686m trip, so you expect her to stay well.
Oh Pretty Woman: I have a real soft spot for Ray Evan's bitch. She doesn't see out the 685m at Swindon, however again over a shorter trip I reckon she'd be a real player. What she is, is a real game bitch, who will give her all in a race. She could be a potential point-stealer for us.
Ardmayle Candy: The Stringer camp seem to have a wealth of talent that can run on strong, and Candy seems to fit the 'under the radar' bill well. She's hit a good patch of form recently, putting in some great times over the 480m and running on with it. Again, worth a punt over a short 6?
Call Poacher: Jim Little's runner looks destined to be a big runner over the 6 bend trip, and ran a really good race over the 685m recently, just being beat by Oneco Jewel. Poacher is also pretty young and progressive, so could be a candidate over the trip for Team Swindon.
Ardmayle Move: Another for Team Stringer here. Move ran a very good S2 race last Saturday, posting 41.70 calc. Again, a progressive sort who could come on over 6 for that run.
There are a few thoughts that I've had about the division. If you have any opinions etc, feel free to post a comment on the bottom of this blog.
Next up I'll be looking at the Standard Puppy division, which looks to be one of the hardest to fathom a team from.
Until then, happy punting!
Chris Watts
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
The BAGS/SIS Intertrack - Sprinters
I must apologise for the delay in writing this blog. The release of FIFA13 has rather gripped any form of social being that I have, alas I haven't really given myself a time out to write this. However, after a 2-0 defeat by QPR, I though it was time to put the controller down.
As I blogged about last time, there are certain criteria that the greyhounds running in this inter track must achieve:
> Must be OR maidens at the start of the competition, however are able to shift the maiden tag once the competition has started and still be eligible.
> Must have had 5 graded races at Swindon.
Sprinters
First and foremost, I must say I think we would be in a much better position for this competition if we had kept up the sprinting division. The D1's and 2's we were having were very competitive, and just put a bit of 2 bend form on the CV of some of these greyhounds that we know are probably more apt to sprinting than they are seeing out the long 4 bend trip at Blunsdon. It's for this reason that I think Oxford will be at their strongest here, as they run a division and have dogs that sprint week in, week out.
Alas what we are looking for then is consistant trapper with a cracking kick of early. Or are we? I know that in a sprint it tends to be the out and gone merchants that you would be siding with, but there are certain dogs around that don't necessarily trap well, but have bundles of early pace to the bend. Champagne Perry, for example, fluffs the start up a fair bit, however his sheer pace gets him round that bend in front. As Brucie says, 'Points Mean Prizes', and we should be going for the best position possible.
Here are a couple of runners that could be possible:
Sparta Johnny (Paul Foster): In my opinion, the stand out choice to be our top sprinter. Johnny has picked up a couple of nice wins in Intertracks recently, over the sprint trip, and has posted some decent times. His early pace and trapping is second to none
Unknown Bullet (Pete Swadden): Maybe not people's first thoughts, however he's proven to be a pretty decent trapper. Bullet runs regularly over A2, and has some sprinting experience. Might be worth a pop.
Boozed Aroma (Kevin Hutton): Aroma's a game, middle running bitch, who has some pretty decent times on her card. She ran for us in the Easter Bunny final back in April, and is still proving to be a decent runner in A2.
The thing with sprinters is that, realistically, anything with that kick of early would be worth a pop. Trials are a must.
As I blogged about last time, there are certain criteria that the greyhounds running in this inter track must achieve:
> Must be OR maidens at the start of the competition, however are able to shift the maiden tag once the competition has started and still be eligible.
> Must have had 5 graded races at Swindon.
Sprinters
First and foremost, I must say I think we would be in a much better position for this competition if we had kept up the sprinting division. The D1's and 2's we were having were very competitive, and just put a bit of 2 bend form on the CV of some of these greyhounds that we know are probably more apt to sprinting than they are seeing out the long 4 bend trip at Blunsdon. It's for this reason that I think Oxford will be at their strongest here, as they run a division and have dogs that sprint week in, week out.
Alas what we are looking for then is consistant trapper with a cracking kick of early. Or are we? I know that in a sprint it tends to be the out and gone merchants that you would be siding with, but there are certain dogs around that don't necessarily trap well, but have bundles of early pace to the bend. Champagne Perry, for example, fluffs the start up a fair bit, however his sheer pace gets him round that bend in front. As Brucie says, 'Points Mean Prizes', and we should be going for the best position possible.
Here are a couple of runners that could be possible:
Sparta Johnny (Paul Foster): In my opinion, the stand out choice to be our top sprinter. Johnny has picked up a couple of nice wins in Intertracks recently, over the sprint trip, and has posted some decent times. His early pace and trapping is second to none
Unknown Bullet (Pete Swadden): Maybe not people's first thoughts, however he's proven to be a pretty decent trapper. Bullet runs regularly over A2, and has some sprinting experience. Might be worth a pop.
Boozed Aroma (Kevin Hutton): Aroma's a game, middle running bitch, who has some pretty decent times on her card. She ran for us in the Easter Bunny final back in April, and is still proving to be a decent runner in A2.
The thing with sprinters is that, realistically, anything with that kick of early would be worth a pop. Trials are a must.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Looking Ahead: The BAGS/SIS Intertrack 2012 - Overview of the Tracks.
What is the Inter-track?
Here's the first of a series of blogs, where I will be looking at particular contenders for the BAGS/SIS Inter-track competition that's scheduled to take place near the end of the year.
For those that don't know, the Inter-track competition is a 6 group, 3 team contest between the BAGS tracks in the U.K. In this year's competition, we are grouped with Poole and Oxford. The winners of each of the groups will then head to Perry Barr for the grand final on Sunday 23rd December 2012. The total prize pot is pretty significant, adding a few £1000 to the prize funds in January, as well as other winners prizes.
In each leg of the competition, there are 6 races, with each track fielding two runners. The distances are:
> Standard Dogs
> Standard Bitches
> Standard Puppy
> Standard Mixed
> Sprint
> Stayers
Each race has a pretty good winners prize fund, with £200 to the winner, £100 second and £75 others for the races. There is also a traveling allowance allocated for the event.
Greyhounds running in the event must be OR maiden's before the start, and have 5 graded races on their card at their particular track. Alas, at this time of year, I think it's unrealistic to look at dogs just trialling on, as the time frame to get runs in isn't sufficient.
The Opponents
So, on our travels we will be venturing up the A420 to Oxford, and down that bloomin' awful Salisbury route to Poole. Two tracks that are really very similar. Both are near enough the exact opposite of Swindon!
Oxford
I've been Oxford to watch open races quite a lot. I find the track not quite as tight as Poole, however it certainly takes a trial to see the track and the first bend in particular. The traps are flat fronted and work on hydraulics. There's a pretty long run up to the first bend, however once at the bend, its a sharp turn into the second, and you find a lot of dogs who haven't had a look move off either at the first, or cut right in around the first and move off at the second. Heading into the third bend, the thing that differs from some tracks that I've visited, is that there seems to be alot of room to make a move either through the middle or on the rails. Certain tracks, like Nottingham, seem to funnel towards the rail, which makes passing on the bend very difficult.
The standard trip at Oxford is run over 450m, the stayers over 595m and the sprint over 250m.
Early pace seems to be the key for Oxford, however you do see a fair share of dogs coming off the back. I think, ideally, a middle runner with good early would be ideal over the standard distance here, as the railers without a look can tend to move off and cause some bother. Some early pace through the middle means that the greyhound could carry the bend.
For the 595m trip, a QAw railer is a must in my opinion. It's a really short run into the first bend, and more often that not, whatever leads round this bend tends to do best. Obviously, you do need to last home, as the run in can catch some out.
Poole
Similar to Oxford in many ways, however I feel a slightly different approach would be needed. Again, I've been to Poole plenty of times. It's a cracking little track, with a superbly prepared surface. I think that the bends are alot tighter than Oxfords, and the straights are a touch shorter aswell. Poole is most definitely a track where you need early pace to get round the bend in a decent pitch.
My most recent experience of Poole was the opening round of the Golden Crest. As with Oxford, what you found with some of the greyhounds who didn't have a look around was that they were moving off quite badly on the first bend. There isn't a massive amount of camber (angle of the bend) to keep the greyhounds in either. Again, unlike Oxford, I've found that the 3rd bend seems to cause a lot of traffic problems. Poole is generally alot narrower than Oxford in any case, meaning that passing room is at a premium.
One particular positive about the track, in relation to our greyhound's performance there, is that they use the roll-on curve front traps like we do at Swindon. People underestimate how the traps can affect a dog. Hydraulics and roll-ons work in completely different ways, and can throw some dogs. The difference between flat front and curve front also can cause problems.
The standard trip at Poole is run over 450m, and the best policy here is a QAw railer. If you can get round that first bend in a pitch, then you should have a great chance. I'd sooner a railer than a wide runner round there any day.
The stayers trip is over 640m, and is a good run for stayers. Local greyhound Wise Totty has a pretty good track record round there. You need to show a kick of early, but you also need to stay on, as it seems to catch alot of dogs out.
The sprint trip is run over 250m.
There's my thoughts about the tracks we'll be visiting over the course of the competition. One thing I do think we must do as a team this time is make use of the travelling allowance to trial on at the tracks. We had an awful lot of dogs run blind last year, and to me that cost us alot of valuable points. With there not being alot of distance involved this time around, it'd be worth putting some future planning in and getting some trials into our hopefuls.
I'll be starting with the Stayer's division first and foremost, having a look at some of our potential contenders.I'm hoping to have this blog, and the corresponding blogs a couple of days after one another.
I'm really interested to hear your opinions about the subject aswell, including if I miss anyone out, or if you have a feeling about anything to do with the Intertrack. We're in it as a team, and we should be open to discuss it as such! If you wish to pass comments or opinions on, feel free to comment on the bottom of this blog post.
Just a heads up about the future blogs and this one, these are only my opinions, and don't necessarily have any bearing on the team picks etc.
Happy Punting!
Chris Watts
Here's the first of a series of blogs, where I will be looking at particular contenders for the BAGS/SIS Inter-track competition that's scheduled to take place near the end of the year.
For those that don't know, the Inter-track competition is a 6 group, 3 team contest between the BAGS tracks in the U.K. In this year's competition, we are grouped with Poole and Oxford. The winners of each of the groups will then head to Perry Barr for the grand final on Sunday 23rd December 2012. The total prize pot is pretty significant, adding a few £1000 to the prize funds in January, as well as other winners prizes.
In each leg of the competition, there are 6 races, with each track fielding two runners. The distances are:
> Standard Dogs
> Standard Bitches
> Standard Puppy
> Standard Mixed
> Sprint
> Stayers
Each race has a pretty good winners prize fund, with £200 to the winner, £100 second and £75 others for the races. There is also a traveling allowance allocated for the event.
Greyhounds running in the event must be OR maiden's before the start, and have 5 graded races on their card at their particular track. Alas, at this time of year, I think it's unrealistic to look at dogs just trialling on, as the time frame to get runs in isn't sufficient.
The Opponents
So, on our travels we will be venturing up the A420 to Oxford, and down that bloomin' awful Salisbury route to Poole. Two tracks that are really very similar. Both are near enough the exact opposite of Swindon!
Oxford
I've been Oxford to watch open races quite a lot. I find the track not quite as tight as Poole, however it certainly takes a trial to see the track and the first bend in particular. The traps are flat fronted and work on hydraulics. There's a pretty long run up to the first bend, however once at the bend, its a sharp turn into the second, and you find a lot of dogs who haven't had a look move off either at the first, or cut right in around the first and move off at the second. Heading into the third bend, the thing that differs from some tracks that I've visited, is that there seems to be alot of room to make a move either through the middle or on the rails. Certain tracks, like Nottingham, seem to funnel towards the rail, which makes passing on the bend very difficult.
The standard trip at Oxford is run over 450m, the stayers over 595m and the sprint over 250m.
Early pace seems to be the key for Oxford, however you do see a fair share of dogs coming off the back. I think, ideally, a middle runner with good early would be ideal over the standard distance here, as the railers without a look can tend to move off and cause some bother. Some early pace through the middle means that the greyhound could carry the bend.
For the 595m trip, a QAw railer is a must in my opinion. It's a really short run into the first bend, and more often that not, whatever leads round this bend tends to do best. Obviously, you do need to last home, as the run in can catch some out.
Poole
Similar to Oxford in many ways, however I feel a slightly different approach would be needed. Again, I've been to Poole plenty of times. It's a cracking little track, with a superbly prepared surface. I think that the bends are alot tighter than Oxfords, and the straights are a touch shorter aswell. Poole is most definitely a track where you need early pace to get round the bend in a decent pitch.
My most recent experience of Poole was the opening round of the Golden Crest. As with Oxford, what you found with some of the greyhounds who didn't have a look around was that they were moving off quite badly on the first bend. There isn't a massive amount of camber (angle of the bend) to keep the greyhounds in either. Again, unlike Oxford, I've found that the 3rd bend seems to cause a lot of traffic problems. Poole is generally alot narrower than Oxford in any case, meaning that passing room is at a premium.
One particular positive about the track, in relation to our greyhound's performance there, is that they use the roll-on curve front traps like we do at Swindon. People underestimate how the traps can affect a dog. Hydraulics and roll-ons work in completely different ways, and can throw some dogs. The difference between flat front and curve front also can cause problems.
The standard trip at Poole is run over 450m, and the best policy here is a QAw railer. If you can get round that first bend in a pitch, then you should have a great chance. I'd sooner a railer than a wide runner round there any day.
The stayers trip is over 640m, and is a good run for stayers. Local greyhound Wise Totty has a pretty good track record round there. You need to show a kick of early, but you also need to stay on, as it seems to catch alot of dogs out.
The sprint trip is run over 250m.
There's my thoughts about the tracks we'll be visiting over the course of the competition. One thing I do think we must do as a team this time is make use of the travelling allowance to trial on at the tracks. We had an awful lot of dogs run blind last year, and to me that cost us alot of valuable points. With there not being alot of distance involved this time around, it'd be worth putting some future planning in and getting some trials into our hopefuls.
I'll be starting with the Stayer's division first and foremost, having a look at some of our potential contenders.I'm hoping to have this blog, and the corresponding blogs a couple of days after one another.
I'm really interested to hear your opinions about the subject aswell, including if I miss anyone out, or if you have a feeling about anything to do with the Intertrack. We're in it as a team, and we should be open to discuss it as such! If you wish to pass comments or opinions on, feel free to comment on the bottom of this blog post.
Just a heads up about the future blogs and this one, these are only my opinions, and don't necessarily have any bearing on the team picks etc.
Happy Punting!
Chris Watts
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Open Race Preview - 15th September 2012
Yes, it's not a mirage. We have five decent quality open races to grace the sand this evening. It's great to see these races, along with a good graded card in my opinion. Here's my preview of the races:
19:57 - The Abbey Meads Sprint
My Pick: Glenbane Air
Decent quality sprint race is this, and realistically I think it's Glenbane Air's to lose. 'Barney' as he's known, trained by Kevin Hutton, has won three sprints on the bounce at both Swindon and Coventry, and has translated superbly to this distance. If he keeps up the way he's going, he can become a top sprinter in, what has to be said, is a very diminished division at the moment. Glenbane shows some great early pace, regularly trapping consistently, even from the dreaded one box in sprints. After this, I think the Sky open race scene must beckon for him. The good thing with having a great quality sprinter is that you can pick up races on Sky with relative ease. The National Sprint at Nottingham must be a target also.
For the places, I'm keeping on the rails, and am expecting Kilmalady Biffo to once again challenge Glenbane for the win, and I think Forest Breeze will be there or there abouts. Kilmalady Biffo has been running very consistently in these sprints, however he's now been beaten twice by Glenbane. I still think he thrives a short four bends. Somewhere like Romford would be brilliant for him at this time in his career. Forest Breeze, trained by Heather Dimmock, looks a pretty decent sort in sprints, however he doesn't look to have the best early pace kick, and in this race it looks to be a case of what leads wins.
My Pick: 2-3-1
20:29 - The Abbey Meads Standard
My Pick: Taranis Rex
For the third consecutive week, I'm bigging up Taranis Rex in this one. However, I do foresee some traffic issues for the former Gymcrack champ. Although I agree that Rexy's best trap is about trap 2-3, He's got, potentially, alot of traffic problems on the rails in the form of Captain Messi and Sharies Miller. Messi can trap, and if he does, it could make things difficult for Rex in terms of getting round the first bend. The same goes for Sharies Miller. Matt Dartnall's bitch, a recent finalist of the Brighton Belle, has some good early pace, and, In my opinion, also has the wrong seed tagged to her. She should really be a middle runner. Alas, now Rex has the issue of getting round Messi at the bend, but also dealing with, potentially, Sharies Miller moving off. Still, if it does all go his way, and even moderately if it doesn't, I think Rex has the class to see these home.
Looking at a couple of the other runners, effectively you can cross the 4 and the 6 off your picks. These greyhounds are trained by the new trainers, Terry Atkins and Ken Mitchell, and by the looks of things this open is an avenue to these two grading on. Hats off to them, its like being paid to trial on!
I think you'd be daft to rule out Ken Humphrey's runner here, Jacobs Courage. He recently ran pretty well in a maiden at Nottingham (and looked punted aswell!) and with the way the draw's made up, and the dogs he has around him, he could nip round here and mount a challenge.
My Pick: 3-5-1
21:01 - The Abbey Meads Maiden 509er
My Pick: Call Poacher
This is a pretty good maiden race this, with a case being made for pretty much all the runners here, however I'm siding with Jim Little's Call Poacher. Poacher ran last week in the same distance trip and ran a very good race in behind Forest Bonjo. I thought he ran on very well, proving that this sort of trip looks his ideal. Over 4 bends, he looks to have a kick of early pace, and if he can translate this into 509, he could win this relatively easy.
There will be some challenges, however, with the early pace on his outside that will be shown from both Inismore Impact and Kays To Blame. I do have my doubts as to whether Inismore Impact will see this trip out all that well, as he looks, again, more of a short four bend dog when he's on the bunny. I think Kays To Blame could be a very interesting forecast link. Alan McDowell's bitch recently ran in a very good A2 race, clocking a particularly fast time. I think this further 4 bends is more up her street.
Another interesting runner is Ray Evan's Oh Pretty Woman. She's been flying home in A2's recently, and trialling on in an impressive time over the 6 bends. This trip will be ideal for her, so expect her to be flying at the finish.
My Pick: 2-5-6
21:17 - The Abbey Meads 509er
My Pick: Matties Mate - NAP
I freely admit to checking the racing post website for this race before I started writing for this race, as looking at the make up I think Mate could be the bet of the night. To my amazement, he's a fairly big price in the paper. Hence, I've made John Peterson's charge my NAP. Mate has hit a really good bit of form recently, competing in top grades here at Swindon, and picking up a brilliant open race win at Coventry last weekend. He broke his maiden duck over this trip, clocking a decent time in the process. The reasoning in this race is that Forest Ted will be moving off slightly into the trap 4 lane position, and I feel that Mate could lead round. I think if he leads, not alot will catch him.
The big danger in this race, rather obviously, is Forest Bonjo. Paul Foster's charge is running out of his skin at the moment, and looks the short price favourite in this race. I should think his main goal for the year is the Winter Stayers event at Monmore, the same form of competition he placed 2nd in a couple of runs back.
My Pick: 2-5-4
21:49 - The Abbey Meads Stayers
My Pick: Lottes Girl - NB
Wahey, a winner for an outsider! In all seriousness, Heather Dimmock's Lottes Girl is a class act. She looks ripe after being off for a little while, with the obvious goal looking to be the TV Trophy at Monmore. She came back flying with a win over 714m at Crayford, showing her trademark early pace and staying on like a steam train. Although this trip is much shorter than what she's used to, I still believe she'll win this comfortably. If she's pitched anywhere between 10 lengths off the first place, keep your eyes open!
For the minor placing's, I'm looking at Kevin Hutton's charges in Five Alley Pub and Penskey Rain. Pub looks to be, potentially, the pace setter in the race, kicking on and leading round, and Penskey looks more the late rallier.
Without sounding disrespectful, to me Scala Cosey, Silverton Blaze and Wise Totty just aren't firing at the moment, and they've been particularly disappointing in their last few races. I hope they can turn the form around, however with class above them in these races, I can't see it happening here.
My Pick: 2-1-5
In the next couple of weeks, I'm looking to write up blogs about our potential hopefuls for the upcoming BAGS intertrack that will be taking place nearer the end of the year. For those that don't know, we will be competing in a group with Oxford and Poole, with the winner of the group heading to Perry Barr on the Sunday before Christmas. As with last year, there are races for:
> Standard Dogs
> Standard Bitches
> Standard Mixed
> Standard Puppy
> Sprint
> Stayers
I'm hoping to do a blog on each distance to see what dogs we have that could, potentially, run in the competition. Any thoughts and views you have would be greatly appreciated. You can post on the bottom of this blog post if you wish, or talk to me at the track.
Happy Punting!
Chris Watts
19:57 - The Abbey Meads Sprint
My Pick: Glenbane Air
Decent quality sprint race is this, and realistically I think it's Glenbane Air's to lose. 'Barney' as he's known, trained by Kevin Hutton, has won three sprints on the bounce at both Swindon and Coventry, and has translated superbly to this distance. If he keeps up the way he's going, he can become a top sprinter in, what has to be said, is a very diminished division at the moment. Glenbane shows some great early pace, regularly trapping consistently, even from the dreaded one box in sprints. After this, I think the Sky open race scene must beckon for him. The good thing with having a great quality sprinter is that you can pick up races on Sky with relative ease. The National Sprint at Nottingham must be a target also.
For the places, I'm keeping on the rails, and am expecting Kilmalady Biffo to once again challenge Glenbane for the win, and I think Forest Breeze will be there or there abouts. Kilmalady Biffo has been running very consistently in these sprints, however he's now been beaten twice by Glenbane. I still think he thrives a short four bends. Somewhere like Romford would be brilliant for him at this time in his career. Forest Breeze, trained by Heather Dimmock, looks a pretty decent sort in sprints, however he doesn't look to have the best early pace kick, and in this race it looks to be a case of what leads wins.
My Pick: 2-3-1
20:29 - The Abbey Meads Standard
My Pick: Taranis Rex
For the third consecutive week, I'm bigging up Taranis Rex in this one. However, I do foresee some traffic issues for the former Gymcrack champ. Although I agree that Rexy's best trap is about trap 2-3, He's got, potentially, alot of traffic problems on the rails in the form of Captain Messi and Sharies Miller. Messi can trap, and if he does, it could make things difficult for Rex in terms of getting round the first bend. The same goes for Sharies Miller. Matt Dartnall's bitch, a recent finalist of the Brighton Belle, has some good early pace, and, In my opinion, also has the wrong seed tagged to her. She should really be a middle runner. Alas, now Rex has the issue of getting round Messi at the bend, but also dealing with, potentially, Sharies Miller moving off. Still, if it does all go his way, and even moderately if it doesn't, I think Rex has the class to see these home.
Looking at a couple of the other runners, effectively you can cross the 4 and the 6 off your picks. These greyhounds are trained by the new trainers, Terry Atkins and Ken Mitchell, and by the looks of things this open is an avenue to these two grading on. Hats off to them, its like being paid to trial on!
I think you'd be daft to rule out Ken Humphrey's runner here, Jacobs Courage. He recently ran pretty well in a maiden at Nottingham (and looked punted aswell!) and with the way the draw's made up, and the dogs he has around him, he could nip round here and mount a challenge.
My Pick: 3-5-1
21:01 - The Abbey Meads Maiden 509er
My Pick: Call Poacher
This is a pretty good maiden race this, with a case being made for pretty much all the runners here, however I'm siding with Jim Little's Call Poacher. Poacher ran last week in the same distance trip and ran a very good race in behind Forest Bonjo. I thought he ran on very well, proving that this sort of trip looks his ideal. Over 4 bends, he looks to have a kick of early pace, and if he can translate this into 509, he could win this relatively easy.
There will be some challenges, however, with the early pace on his outside that will be shown from both Inismore Impact and Kays To Blame. I do have my doubts as to whether Inismore Impact will see this trip out all that well, as he looks, again, more of a short four bend dog when he's on the bunny. I think Kays To Blame could be a very interesting forecast link. Alan McDowell's bitch recently ran in a very good A2 race, clocking a particularly fast time. I think this further 4 bends is more up her street.
Another interesting runner is Ray Evan's Oh Pretty Woman. She's been flying home in A2's recently, and trialling on in an impressive time over the 6 bends. This trip will be ideal for her, so expect her to be flying at the finish.
My Pick: 2-5-6
21:17 - The Abbey Meads 509er
My Pick: Matties Mate - NAP
I freely admit to checking the racing post website for this race before I started writing for this race, as looking at the make up I think Mate could be the bet of the night. To my amazement, he's a fairly big price in the paper. Hence, I've made John Peterson's charge my NAP. Mate has hit a really good bit of form recently, competing in top grades here at Swindon, and picking up a brilliant open race win at Coventry last weekend. He broke his maiden duck over this trip, clocking a decent time in the process. The reasoning in this race is that Forest Ted will be moving off slightly into the trap 4 lane position, and I feel that Mate could lead round. I think if he leads, not alot will catch him.
The big danger in this race, rather obviously, is Forest Bonjo. Paul Foster's charge is running out of his skin at the moment, and looks the short price favourite in this race. I should think his main goal for the year is the Winter Stayers event at Monmore, the same form of competition he placed 2nd in a couple of runs back.
My Pick: 2-5-4
21:49 - The Abbey Meads Stayers
My Pick: Lottes Girl - NB
Wahey, a winner for an outsider! In all seriousness, Heather Dimmock's Lottes Girl is a class act. She looks ripe after being off for a little while, with the obvious goal looking to be the TV Trophy at Monmore. She came back flying with a win over 714m at Crayford, showing her trademark early pace and staying on like a steam train. Although this trip is much shorter than what she's used to, I still believe she'll win this comfortably. If she's pitched anywhere between 10 lengths off the first place, keep your eyes open!
For the minor placing's, I'm looking at Kevin Hutton's charges in Five Alley Pub and Penskey Rain. Pub looks to be, potentially, the pace setter in the race, kicking on and leading round, and Penskey looks more the late rallier.
Without sounding disrespectful, to me Scala Cosey, Silverton Blaze and Wise Totty just aren't firing at the moment, and they've been particularly disappointing in their last few races. I hope they can turn the form around, however with class above them in these races, I can't see it happening here.
My Pick: 2-1-5
In the next couple of weeks, I'm looking to write up blogs about our potential hopefuls for the upcoming BAGS intertrack that will be taking place nearer the end of the year. For those that don't know, we will be competing in a group with Oxford and Poole, with the winner of the group heading to Perry Barr on the Sunday before Christmas. As with last year, there are races for:
> Standard Dogs
> Standard Bitches
> Standard Mixed
> Standard Puppy
> Sprint
> Stayers
I'm hoping to do a blog on each distance to see what dogs we have that could, potentially, run in the competition. Any thoughts and views you have would be greatly appreciated. You can post on the bottom of this blog post if you wish, or talk to me at the track.
Happy Punting!
Chris Watts
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