British Performance of the Week - 11 August 2025

British Performance of the Week - 11 August 2025

The latest round of Cat One double headers kicked off at Monmore on Saturday with the Gold Cup and Stayers Classic. Crossfield Enzo’s 28.21 run in the former is worthy of acknowledgement though New Destiny’s 37.65 and Gary The Arb’s 37.66 in the Classic were both superior runs. It seems incredible that the four-time Cat One winner is just a couple of months off veteran status. Her 37.30, recorded back in March remains the fastest time of the year. She has 33 wins from her 57 races, a strike rate of just under 58%.

By comparison to Acomb Felix though, Destiny is practically a novice. Kevin Ferguson’s remarkable hound who was both the Nottingham and Doncaster selection a week ago, returned to Stainforth on Saturday night and extended his winning sequence to nine when going to within seven spots of his own track record with career win 53 from 113 races (46.9%). A mention too for Rental Crisis with the fastest sprint of the year, 16.65. The Fradgley Flyer’s last 15 races have produced 10 wins and three seconds.

If Felix is the most popular male in Yorkshire, you would struggle to find a more popular female than Ballymac Alyssa. The 25 kilo blue who makes the grader’s blood run cold at the prospect of grading her off levels over ‘462’, is forced to run in sprints and handicaps. Nevertheless, running off scratch and towing a washing machine she still managed to clock the quickest time of the week, 27.55. Another mention too for Jan’24 puppy Grumpy Amber who broke 28.00 with a 27.98 run. Fastest over levels this week, Power Of Water (27.76).

Best Nottingham action for some time last Monday with the last preparations for some of tonight’s ARC Puppy Classic runners. The star of the show was Juvenile Classic winner Romeo Alliance with a 29.62 run. To date, no hound has won the two events, though the Towcester race has only been staged five times. A mention too for the fabulous Stonepark Hoffa on his 17.57 for the sprint. The Sunderland record holder has four wins in his last five outings.

Ballymac Seomra’s attempt to retain her POW title at Swindon fell short though as least Thursday’s A1 event (an all-female five runner race) went to kennelmate Ballymac Mags. What a fabulous bitch she has been. A 2022 Puppy Oaks finalist, she eventually stepped up in distance and failed by one place to reach the 2023 St.Leger Final at Perry Barr. Her last eight winning distances: sh, sh, nk, ½, nk, 1¼, sh, sh.

Who is the no.1 hound at Valley? Until this week, only two hounds had broken 28.00 for the standard distance this year, Unwanted Present (27.86, 27.95) and Loot And Shoot (27.98). However, on Wednesday, Donna Davy’s black upped his game when beating an A2 field in 27.87 (N). It was his 13th win in 33 races, almost a 40% strike rate. Throw Quivers Rafa (28.00) into the fray and you have the basis of a fabulous track championship.

Romford, uniquely, continues to offer variety over four distances in its Friday night opens. Although his time was decent, rather than sparkling, the selection is that fine old warhorse Alright Gordy. Dave Lewis’ brindle overcame all sorts of trouble before beating a decent field including the track specialist Bright Jewel, in 47.18. for eight bends. It was his tenth open win of the year and 31st of his career. The week’s quickest sprinter was Tullymurry Dylan (13.40), with Ontherun Eden best over four bends (23.65) and none went better over 575m than S1 winner Faradays Megan (35.01).

Hove’s Thursday opens returned, and without the draw of Cat 1 status, they had a look of kennel sweepstakes/Romford inter-tracks. But they were decent enough for minor opens. The star last week was a bitch well known to Dublin punters last autumn. Hopes Kitty, who clocked the week’s fastest 500m run, 29.29, had previously reached the finals of last year’s Irish Puppy Oaks won by the sensational Droopys Kathleen and also the €12,500 National Puppy Stake won by Untold Rufiyaa.

Thursday also continues to be the feature night of the week at Newcastle. Last week’s card featured four A1s and four A2s. Approriately enough though it was Angela Harrison’s defending Performer of the Week, Moanteen Webby who led home Skeard Josie for a second consecutive forecast. Webby, who stretched his recent record to four from his last six, was eight spots slower than last time out when getting up by the minimum margin.

Toddys Tank, last week’s Sunderland selection based on a 15.51 run for the sprint was back in action again on Friday though his 27.36 run over four bends doesn’t justify his selection. In fact nothing broke 27.00 again with Crooks Steve (27.04) the pick of the four bend runners. In the meantime, the ex-Janssens sprint open racer Not So Slow landed his first sprint open by 11 lengths for Gary Hamilton in 15.46, which is 20 spots outside the clock.

Word is that Harlow is a popular venue with betting shop punters. When it comes to assessing race form though, particularly ‘going, the word is ‘challenging’. On Wednesday, Cabriol Maggie (a winner of three of her 25 previous races over course and distance) clocked the fastest time of the year for 415m, 26.12. In A6. The going was assessed at +80. Later in the same meeting, Britbull Panama won a decent quality A4 in 26.17 (+60). Five days earlier, he had won in similar grade in 27.17 (-30).

Harlow regulars will be familiar with the exploits of the fantastic pup Moaning Hearns who has featured regularly in this feature. On Sunday, Darren Whitton’s home bred arrived at Star Pelaw without a trial around the course or a race for more than a fortnight. He was nevertheless made the 30/100f and despite an ‘okay’ break, romped up in the fastest sprint of the night. His 14.58 was recorded on (-10), the clock is 14.28. . .!

On Saturday night, King Memphis went to traps for just the 12th time since being beaten in the 2024 Derby Final. A series of setbacks have meant he has averaged less than a run a month this year though he looks to be heading in the right direction following his 28.84 run for Central Park’s 491m on Saturday night. The former track record holder (28.57) has 12 races on his card at Sittingbourne for 9 wins and 2 seconds.

On the subject of course specialists, Scurry runner-up Magical Bluebear went to the Perry Barr sprint boxes for the 12th time on Saturday night and won for the seventh time (four 2nds). A mention too for A2 winner Lightfoot Celia who went quicker than any of the night’s 480 opens with a near five length win in 28.18.

There was a time when any sub27.50 run would attract great attention at Yarmouth. In 2019, Roxholme Nidge was the only runner to achieve it with a 27.44 run. On Saturday night, Who Dares Wins’ 27.49 was usurped by both Bockos Buster’ 27.45 and the quickest run of the week, Crossfield Finn’s 27.40. Laugh A lot’s 27.38 remains the line to beat this year.

Four daughters of Not Too Late contested the first semi final of the BGBF British Bred Oaks at Oxford on Saturday. The winner, and quickest 450m performance of the week came from 26.63 (-20) Signet Nayla (by Signet Denver) with litter sister Signet Lyssa back in fourth. Separating them in second and third were their half sisters Coppice Lottie and Miss Kubelik (by Dorotas Wildcat). Incidentally, the second best run of the week also belonged to son of Denver, the 26.68 (-10) A1 winner Berties Decision.

The easiest graded selection of the week was Swift Hostile in terrific A1 contest at Sheffield. The layers made the Ian Greaves bred hound the 13/8 second favourite behind kennelmate Slippy Keith (11/8f). Hostile broke moderately but showed great early pace to go at least three clear into the third bend. But he then faced the challenge from the favourite with Catunda Ciaran also joining the action. They flashed past together with Hostile and Keith producing a Draper forecast. Distances: sh, sh with all five withing three lengths in the fastest time of the week, 28.89. That’s five in a row for the cracking young dog.

It perhaps says something about the quality hounds sent out by the MWD Syndicate that a dog who can clock 28.65 for the Derby trip probably wouldn’t rate in the top five open racers in the kennel. However Blue Riband and Three Steps finalist Kilmore Dancer looked a division better than the opposition at Towcester on Sunday, which is actually only three spots slower than Proper Heiress’s quickest run over the same c&d.