JONATHAN HOBBS: Monmore and Sheffield take centre-stage tonight with some cracking action as, respectively, the Ladbrokes Puppy Derby and Racing Post Greyhound TV Steel City Cup reach the semi-final stage.
Monmore and Sheffield both stage high-class events, with Derby pointers aplenty given some likely youngsters going for gold at the Wolverhampton venue and plenty of four-bend quality at the Owlerton track. Both are still wide-open.
As a bonus on RPGTV, heats of the Queen Mother Memorial Cup support the Steel City Cup – and the first heat, especially, looks a cracker with Roman Empire versus last year’s Golden Jacket winner Stardom and Champion Stakes heroine Aayamza Express.
So, starting with Sheffield’s TV card, here’s some pointers . . . as the show goes on for the dogs!
Sheffield
7.19: Roman Empire looks well pitched inside and could go well in heat one of the Queen Mother Cup. Ernie Gaskin’s dog is up against a quality field, led by Stardom and Aayamza Express, but a cracking C&D success last week gives this exciting stayer the edge.
Play: Roman Empire
7.36: Heat two of the Queen Mother Cup and Ballymac Saga has stepped up in distance in good style. This Oaks finalist is already a winner over 630m on home soil and Kim Billingham’s runner has the pace to lead rivals inside and out. Antigua Sands is the danger.
Play: Ballymac Saga
7.51: The final Queen Mother heat and Sean Parker’s Farran Bourbon could be well pitched here. He ran a decent race behind Roman Empire last week and the switch back to the red-box suits. Sharpys Rocket rarely runs a bad race, so might be a forecast link.
Play: Farran Bourbon
8.24: The withdrawal of Antigua Romeo has opened the way for Laurence Tuffin’s Deadly Expert to shine in the first Steel City Cup semi-final. He has space to work some magic outside and will improve after just three races – he showed good enough last week.
Play: Deadly Expert
8.44: The second Steel City Cup semi looks a great clash between Lenson Whelan, Look Like Power and Headford Ranger. The latter is a powerhouse performer, but Patrick Janssens’ dog has every chance to get first run and might get away.
Play: Lenson Whelan
9.01: The third Steel City Cup semi and Bev Heaton’s Ballymac Ambrose looks well drawn, especially if Kilara Lion edges towards the rails. The Belle Vue dog remains attractive ante-post, too, and this wider draw might get him into the race sooner.
Play: Ballymac Ambrose
The three semi-finals of the Ladbrokes Puppy Derby are the highlight of a fantastic card at Monmore featuring a host of top-grade events as part of the Ladbrokes Track Championship.
Concentrating on the open races, the first semi looks a competitive affair with the vote heading the way of the Ted Soppitt-trained Calzaghe Mint (7.07), a recent Sunderland competition winner. He can get first run market rival Queen Jessiej.
The second semi is also a trappy affair, but Kevin Hutton’s Ballydoyle Blake could get first run on the unbeaten Smallmead, while Droopys Addition (8.11) might be one for multiples backers given a plum draw against the fence and a runaway win latest.
Good luck all.
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