British Performance of the Week - 2 March 2026

Bruce lands the Winter Derby at second attempt

It was very much a case of second time lucky for Bruce Bay as he landed the re-run of the Ladbrokes Winter Derby. He was not able to get himself involved in the first running by the time that the race was stopped in the interests of safety. There was less pace pressure to his immediate right and a 28.03 from just off the pace was a smart run.

There was a pair of track records at Central Park on Saturday night. Romeo Steel produced a new sprint clock on his first look at the track in a while. It is the third track record that he currently holds, a shame for him that he is running at the same time as Proper Heiress which will make it hard for him to win standard dog of the year at the awards on Thursday night, but he is a very smart performer in his own right.

Princess Matilda took the 664m record away from Burrows Charm just four weeks after he had set that new clock. She is a decent type over a stiff six and a sharp eight, though a track record probably wouldn't have been on the radar for her for most. That said, she can't be knocked given that she saw off a smart field with her win.  

29.60 is a very smart time around Hove's 515m, with Tiffield Tarquin dropping back to four bends with another superb run. He has been flying around Romford this year and seems to be in the shape of his life at present, making it 5/5 in 2026. Surely another crack at the Derby will be coming up in a couple of months.  

It's fair to say that Savanaregimental wins no medals for consistency which must be a shame for connections as when he is on his game, he is a very smart stayer. He produced the quickest 660m time at Sheffield for 18 months with his win on Sunday's card to stamp his authority on the field in no uncertain terms. 

There was also a quickest of the year at Star Pelaw over the weekend with Unanimous Leon adding another 435m win to his portfolio. He picked up the quickest of 2025 over the same track and trip, continuing in flying form at present. 

Elsewhere in the north east, there was another smart win at Sunderland for Sunnyside Ted. His 15.50 was one of the strongest runs that he has produced so far, and he is still only 15 starts into his career. It would be no surprise if there was a competition in him late on in the year. 

At Newcastle there was only graded action but Coppice Saphire produced a time that would have more than held its own in an open. She has now won three straight when she has been seen in A1 grade but is more than capable at a higher level, winning seven opens in 2025.

There is only a single defeat to this point in the career of Good Acclaim, making up for his defeat at Dunstall Park in the heats of a competition last week when making no mistake in the final. He has a huge amount of natural talent and like Sunnyside Ted, it feels like there is a decent competition in him. 

There were a couple of winners for Nathan Hunt in the POW this week with Newinn Oscar taking the Nottingham prize. He found that track very much to his liking in the autumn, producing some smart winning form and picked up another win to add to his tally last week.

At Romford, Mad For Cash produced a very smart run over six bends. She is a three-quarter sister to Mad For Stirling, so this track had the potential to suit her really well. This was the top run in her career so far, and given that she has only had 17 of them in total, there could still be a touch more to come. 

The return to four bends for Roanna Mamba has seen him pick up back-to-back wins at Suffolk Downs, most recently when producing enough to see him land the POW. The brindle enjoyed an excellent 2025 and has kicked off his 2026 in smart fashion as well.

The superb winning run of Alright Twinkle came to an end after six straight successes at Oxford with Droopys Doris getting the better of her on Saturday. She has only managed to run 15 times in the last 12 months but she has got her head in front in 10 of those.

The winning times at Towcester on Sunday were steadier than we have seen in recent weeks. Rackethall Brute produced the best of them in what was by far the strongest race of the afternoon. The fact that he produced it from behind adds a little more value to the bare success. 

At Doncaster, there was another win for Foxwood Carter who picked up the POW for the second straight week. He has enjoyed a decent start to the year, picking up his fourth win so far. This was his first open race win since last October, and he has produced quicker wins already this year, so he could be well set for further success.

There was an impressive A1 win at Yarmouth from Outdoor Cracker, although he was unable to back that up in an S1 on Sunday when sent off an odds-on favourite, That other win was not required to take the award for top performance, however, with his 462m success more than enough.

Ashway June was the pick of the open race winners last week at the Valley. It was a sixth win on the trot for her, mixing four and six bends to great effect so far this year. She is a litter sister to Ballinabola Joe.

There was a decent display at Kinsley from Deecee Gracie. She is still a puppy, a winner for the fifth time in her last 10 outings. The last two of those have come in this A4 grade.

Central Park was not the only track where it was impossible to split a pair of winners, Harlow got in on the act as well as a pair of sprinters both produced the same winning time on different days. Ritzy Queen and Rapido Aria were that pair, the former adding a second straight POW win to her credit and the latter picking up win number 28 in her career in start number 104.