British Performance of the Week - 13 April 2026

Smart runs up and down the country last week

Although there were quicker winners at Towcester on Sunday, the field that Swords Style beat in the Time Greyhound Nutrition Juvenile entitles him to the award. There was plenty of quality behind him and a couple of the runners were unlucky in their run but credit to the winner whose early gears put him in right position to take the prize in the first place. 

The Coral Brighton Belle kicked off on Saturday night where Strike It Skye was a street ahead of any of her rivals in the opening round. Things get tougher as these competitions progress but the Jimmy Wright Future Stars winner was having her first run of the year. She will head to the Derby off the back of this competition where she stopped the clock inside the track record in a trial.

There was Category One action at Dunstall Park on Saturday night but the Laurels final was a messy contest. As such, on the clock, the Dunstall Dash success of Good Acclaim is the win that gets the pick this week as he extends his record to 10 wins from 12 starts. 

When she get things right, Slingshot Poppy is one of the quickest bitches in the country. She was a comfortable winner at Sunderland on Friday night, a track that has seen plenty of smart runs from her in her career. A 10-time winner from just 14 starts, there is surely a big prize in her.

One of the performances that tickled a track record this week was Princess Matilda at Romford. She has been electric for most of this year, racking up a winning sequence that now stands at six after her trip to the Cesarewitch final. 750m at Romford is a comfortable track and trip for her, stopping the clock just nine spots off the track record which has stood since 2012!

A track where Princess Matilda briefly held the clock earlier on this year was Central Park where Bluejig Outlaw became the fourth dog to dip under 40 seconds for the 664m distance. A Ladbrokes Golden Jacket finalist back in February, a stiff six bends is right up his street. 

At the other end of the distance scale was Sheffield's POW winner, Rodriguez. On an afternoon when Copney Queen set a best 500m time of 2026 it needed something special to beat her and that is what we got from Patrick Janssens's debutant. A little slow to stride, he showed electric pace to hit the front, stopping the clock 10 spots off the track record. it would've been his had he come away, looking a serious talent for the kennel. 

There was a string of impressive sprint runs this week in a division that is growing in stature at present. Ballarue Rolo broke his own best time at Doncaster for the fastest of 2026, with Clonoon Ansar going just four spots slower than him in the very next race. 

At Nottingham it was Mark Russell's Da Don who claimed another 305m success. The Coral Golden Sprint finalist has won four of his five races at Nottingham, his sole defeat coming at the paws of Bockos Buster. The November 23 whelp is still relatively unexposed for his age after just 18 starts in Ireland and England combined and further Cat One finals would not be any surprise. 

Although the win of Little Pretender at Star Pelaw was a 25/1 shock, there was no fluke about the result, out under the lids to clock a sub 14.40 effort. The track has been running on the quick side but it was the third quickest of the year, and we are unlikely to see odds like that on him winning for a good while.

Thursday night opens are back at Monmore who started their Open Championship last week. Armagh Daithi was the pick of the winners on the card for Mark Wallis but it was the home trainers who were on top on the opening night with Nathan Hunt and Kim Billingham-Hine taking five winners between them.

There is a serious wealth of talent in the kennels of Craig Morris at present, with Chelms Charmer right at the top of the graded ladder at Yamouth. He missed out by half a length on a place in the final of the Coral Essex Vase back in January, winning seven of his 11 races since at his home track. His win at the weekend is tied for fourth quickest of 2026 over 462m.

At Newcastle, POW went to Glengar Vegas who landed an A2 in a very smart time. It was only his second start, sent off at odds-on in an open in the first of them. He is superbly bred and the Brian Fairbairn team could have another smart type on their hands. 

There is a pair of veterans on the list this week, kicking off with Devon Chime at Kinsley. His 16.05 win was not as quick as he managed last month but the four-year-old is now the holder of two of the top three times of the year from his last two wins. 

At Harlow it was Our Baby Bear who was doing his bit for the veterans, taking out a D3 contest last Wednesday. That makes it three wins in his last four starts for Debbie Hurlock. 

Hawkfield Dash took the award at the Valley last week, another to win over two bends. It was only his third run of the year and first since February, coming back from a break in decent heart. He is a half-brother to Irish Sprint Cup winner Hawkfield Ozark.