JONATHAN HOBBS: The Coral Champion Stakes takes centre-stage at Romford tonight and this 575m annual never lets you down. It oozes class and kick-starts a superb weekend with the heats of the Oaks at Perry Barr tomorrow and a huge meeting at Towcester on Sunday.
Concentrating on Romford here, six heats of the Category One competition will keep SportyStuff and RPGTV viewers tuned in from start to finish, with supporting opens either side making Romford very much the place to be for greyhound fans.
Let’s have a look at the main races – six heats of the Champion Stakes.
Romford
6.43: A good heat to kick off with given one of the major ante-post players Bombardier lines up. Impressive in the heats of the St Leger, a recent 575m trial here was top-notch and he has every chance. However, Carol Weatherall’s team is going great guns just now and, while a trap six draw for Nipsey Hustle looks on paper tough, his now extensive experience of Romford – plus a snappy exit outside, which is needed – could pave the way.
Play: Nipsey Hustle
6.58: Another Weatherall runner Fight The Power could be tough to hold in this heat two of the Champion Stakes. The eye is drawn to Doorus Jet after his runaway victory last week and another slick exit could pave the way for a quickfire double for the Hove raider. However the value might lie with the blue-boxed runner whose 35.21sec recent return stands out, with pace at both ends helping.
Play: Fight The Power
7.18: Night Time Danny ran well in the St Leger, leading everywhere but the line in the final, and therefore must be respected. However once again it’s the Romford form of Droopys Addition which catches the eye. Gemma Evans’ runner is a prolific winner at Romford and has proven a great competition dog over the seasons. He caught an on-fire Warzone Tom last week but ran well to hold second and looks in decent form.
Play: Droopys Addition
7.36: Such was the manner of Warzone Tom’s victory last week that a follow-up is more likely than not. The time was there (35.09sec) and another slick start sets things up for the black box. However the likely difference in prices here suggest that Smallmead might be the one. John Mullins’ bitch didn’t quite get it right last week in her Champion Stakes warm-up behind T4 but had sluiced home previously and raises her game with a start.
Play: Smallmead
7.56: A great contest now for this fifth heat of the Champion Stakes. Kishlawn Shakira will have her supporters on the draw, although needs to raise her game on last week’s effort. Droopys Aoife and Ivy Hill Skyhigh are both regular winners here and the latter, especially, ran a solid race last week behind a good winner. Mark Wallis’s dog starts well here and, if getting first run on his rivals here, might be tough to hold.
Play: Ivy Hill Skyhigh
8.17: Not one of the strongest heats of the Champion Stakes to conclude with but nevertheless a competitive one. Agincourt Xena showed good pace behind Farneys Lark last week and, a decent starter on her day, could get first run. She posted a nippy 35.34sec in July behind a certain Droopys Aoife so can certainly run at this level. Fatboyz Exile came through well last week and has to be respected from a red jacket draw.
Play: Agincourt Xena
Good luck all.
@Hobbsy67
