Bockos Buster set for his National Sprint semi-final

Picture from the Star Sports X feed

Kevin Boon talks Bockos Buster

Kevin Boon again puts Suffolk Downs on the map on the open-race scene when he fields Bockos Buster in Monday’s semi-finals of the Arena Racing Company National Sprint at Nottingham - but is also delighted to see some of his former colleagues at Yarmouth being successful on the road, too.

He said: “Both Craig (Morris) and Pam (Cross) had runners in the Ballyregan Bob final at Hove on Saturday. We know Craig takes his team regularly on the road, but it’s also great to see Pam’s team out and about, especially with Ballymac Nova, and Hannah (Meen) is doing a great job for them."

And so is Boon just now with Bockos Buster. A finalist in the recent Premier Greyhound Racing Classic at Sunderland having also made the final of the Arc Scurry Gold Cup at Dunstall Park, Bockos Buster won his heat of the National Sprint at Colwick Park last week and runs in the first semi-final of the end-of-season sprint event on Monday.

“He’s got great speed and hopefully goes well again on Monday, although we’ve pulled out the hardest semi!” added Boon of the clash with the likes of fellow heat winners Newinn Batchelor and Ballinakill Liam, albeit the latter’s win came in a subsequently void race. 

Also in a red-hot 305m contest is ante-post favourite Shadow Storm. Back to Yarmouth’s success on the circuit and Boon is particularly delighted to see the Pamela Cross kennel represented at a number of tracks recently, given his close connections with the kennel given they have runners on the ground out of some of Boon’s previous track stars, including Sheldan.

However, it is Andrew Malster-owned Ballymac Nova, a daughter of Ballymac Merkle, so related to the likes of the Ballymacs Taylor and Katie and dual Cesarewitch winner Garfiney Blaze, who is serving the Cross team well.

Winner of the Maurice Newman Memorial Marathon at Romford on PGR Champion Stakes night at Romford in October, Ballymac Nova finished fourth in Saturday’s George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial Final.

“Pam is in her 80s now and Hannah (Meen) deserves great credit for what she’s doing," added Boon. "Nova ran a great race in the final at Hove and they should be really proud.”