GREYHOUND PREVIEW: Barry Caul previews the start of the second round of the English Greyhound Derby at Towcester on Friday.
Heat 1. Barntick Bear was not at his superlative best last weekend, but he still done enough to win comfortably in the end. The Bear has managed to avoid all the big guns, and I suspect he will go of favourite from the red jacket. At the time of writing, he is disputing favoritism with Tiffield Tarquin. Tarquin impressed me when making all last week and will be looking to employ similar tactics once again this weekend. He was a Juvenile Classic finalist at the back end of last year and still has scope for further improvement. Barntick Bear is up there with the absolute best in training when on song and I feel he could be tough to beat on Friday.
Heat 2. One of the heats of the entire second round! Last year’s champion De Lahdedah was back to his very best when flashing from traps and making all in a blistering 28:50. That was his best run of the year by some distance, and it remains to be seen if that run has left a mark. He chased hard last weekend and was right out at the sprint boxes off the second bend which makes the run all that more impressive. He faces a tough heat with Ballinabola Joe who was another to impress last weekend (28:62). Joe posted the fastest sectional of the opening round, and the scary thing is he can probably come away a fraction better. Joe is very lightly raced and that was only his second look at the track. He could be the one to beat in here. I was very sweet on the chances of Lennies Desire in the opening and his supporters never had a moments worry as he came home almost ten lengths clear of his nearest rival in 28:58. This however is much tougher, and he will need to be on his toes in the early part of the contest. At 5/2 Ballinabola Joe looks like a decent price, and he can come home ahead of De Lahdedah and Lennies Desire.
Heat 3. Not an ideal heat for the Paul Hennessy kennels as three of his runners all line up in the same heat. Boylesports Blue is much better than his Towcester outings to date and will attract the value seekers at 7/1. Blue has some strong Irish form and its hard to totally rule him out. Hello Diego is running the track well and has now won three of his four starts with Saturdays opening round defeat the only blemish on his English card. It was good to see Dynamic Force break well last week. He is a greyhound with buckets of early speed when he gets his starting right and last week’s win should do his confidence the world of good. With a level start I fancy Force to make all in here with Hello Diego likely to stay on well and grab a qualifying position. Scooby The Boss may be fare best of the home runners.
Heat 4. March On Freddie is a greyhound who divides opinion around here, but I think he is certainly worth another chance. Its too early to say, “he doesn’t run the track.” Freddie has only had three races at the track and finished runner up twice. I thought he ran well in defeat last weekend and I’m more than willing to give him another chance. The Ballybough Nutz fan club will be out in force, and it would be great to see him qualify. He flew from traps last weekend and a repeat performance should see him make the podium at the very least. Slick Sentinel did little wrong last week and looks to have a good draw. I’m firmly with Freddie in here, currently an 11/8 shot, but I do believe he will be a good deal bigger on the night.
Heat 5. Droopys Aladdin was one of the most impressive winners of the opening round. He scorched to the third turn and could go a long way in the competition if producing runs like that. He looks like a certain leader but this in turn should give the strong running Droopys Bookem a clear run after Aladdin. Bookem has pace in spades but has a habit of finding the trouble spots. Killieford Goram flew from boxes last week but its hard to see him producing a similar start. Aladdin will be my selection in here. He looks a certain leader and hopefully he will be far enough clear of the strong runners turning for home.
Heat 6. On the face of it Proper Heiress may have been a shade disappointing last week but personally I think he may have just bumped up against a rapidly improving greyhound in Droopys Aladdin. Aladdin runs in the previous heat so we will get a good look at the form of the race. I would be willing to side with Proper Heiress to score here but the 8/15 on offer certainly will not temp me to part with any cash. Arthur Job could tempt a few at 16/1. I doubt we have seen the best of him just yet and he could nick a place at a big price. Romeo Tomcat impressed in defeat last week and should be on the premises. Proper Heiress looks the most likely winner, but at the price I’ll pass.
Heat 7. The evergreen Churchfield Syd scored once again last week, and he must be a pleasure to own. Last year’s finalist is getting no younger but continues to churn out solid performances. Syd will have his supporters in here but it is hard to look past Droopys Plunge. Plunge won with ease last week in 28:64 and will score again with a repeat. Betgoodwin Ed- who was formerly known as Dutchie when he ran in Ireland does lack a yard of early pace and this will suit Droopys Plunge. Ed could be the one to follow him home and could outrun his current odds of 11/1, but it is hard to look past Droopys Plunge.
Heat 8. Three ladies fill the inside boxes in the final heat of the night. Faypoint Susie won her first-round heat for the third year on the spin last week and she has an ace draw on the fence. Fabulous Sonique and Dark Madam were only just beaten last time but will need to improve a shade on the clock if they are to get involved. Keefill Goose got the better of the excellent Singalong Molly last time and this looks a good chance for him to make it two from two in the competition. His sectionals read well in the context of this race, and he could prove hard to beat. I will also give Deliveroo a shout, he has run well at Newcastle, Perry Barr and Monmore recently and we have yet to see the best of him around here. His current 14/1 looks far too big.
Good luck to all connections,
Barry.
