British Performance of the Week - 20 July 2026

Flare lights up the Hove sky with fastest of the year 

There have been some decent times at Hove over 695m so far this year but there was a strong possibility that the start of the Coral Regency would see quicker runs. That was very much the case for Droopys Flare who didn't get herself to the front until a full circuit had been completed but she absolutely ran riot, taking 20 spots off the fastest of the year so far. She gave the impression that she can go quicker next time which should terrify her semi-final opponents.

One who might struggle to go quicker next time is Slingshot Poppy who became just the third greyhound to break 28 seconds at Newcastle on Thursday night. One of the most naturally gifted bitches in the country when she gets things right, she has a chance to pick up a second Category Two trophy this week, and on that performance, she will be a very short price to do so.

Although the two finals at Dunstall Park were won by Harton Whirlwind and Droopys Scratch on Saturday night, it is the spectacular English debut of Magical Jason that takes the award. It was the first round of the Bar 1 Sprint Cup at Dundalk on Saturday night with the top sprinters in Ireland but none managed to topple his time off the top of the pile, a clocking he set on his race debut. He could be very special.

At Monmore there was a second win over 630m for Zenith Pasha, producing a broadly similar effort to his wining six-bend debut from a week ago. Things didn't go quite as smoothly which leads to the conclusion that there should be more to come from him on the clock. Vhagar boasts the quickest of the year, and he has a bit to go to challenge that level of time but he is a very smart type in the making over staying trips.

There was yet another win at Central Park from Brunch Pal who continues to keep on rolling for the Dave Lee team. If being super critical, he needs to perform to this level against a stronger level of opposition than he often faces here but he really is a hard dog to knock, consistent and a strong performer at both ends of his races. 

There was a rough ride for Headford Sarah to the first bend in the final of the Coral Guys & Dolls, but she quickly bounced back to winning ways on Friday night. There were plenty of times of a similar ilk on Friday night at the London Road venue, but hers was one that just came out on top. 

It took a while for Aghaburren Luna to find a winning groove, scoring in just once in her first 12 starts for the Barry Denby kennel. The change from graded action at Nottingham to open racing at Doncaster has seen her take off. A smart winner on her debut at the South Yorkshire venue, she followed it up with a spectacular success on Saturday night, clocking a spot off the top 10 times of the year.

Just down the road at Sheffield, there was another six-bend success for Savanaregimental. He does seem to save the pick of his form for this track, his last 10 wins all at this venue. He has scored elsewhere in the past but it makes sense for connections to keep him rolling around here, for all that he ran well enough in the semis of the Arc Stayers Cup at Dunstall Park recently.

A little further south at Nottingham and there was a decent sprint win from Born Racer. He is very close to veteran status which he will gain in August, but there are still some very smart efforts being produced by the speedster at a track that clearly suits him very well. 

There has been plenty of success of late from Jazzy Ace, an open race winner at Hove, Sheffield and now at Towcester within the last month. He is proving to be a very consistent and sharp trapper which is helping him maintain his winning form. This was a first run and win over 460m, a distance that should suit him well going forward. 

In the north east there was a strong sprinting run from Fridays Jota at Star Pelaw. His success was the 33rd time that the 14.50 barrier has been broken so far this year, with the track continuing to run fast. The track record has been broken twice in 2026, and in comparison, 14.50 was broken the same 33 times in the entirety of 2025. 

There was a big shock for punters as Anglesey Exile scored a 33/1 stunner at Sunderland on Friday night but the performance was up to the standards expected of an average weekly winner of this column. A 5.00 split is the best that he has managed in his races at the venue which set him on his way perfectly. 

It was a quieter week at Yarmouth where Heartandahalf barely had to break 28 seconds to land the award on Monday night. He was unfortunate not to double up on the week, run down in the shadow of the post on Saturday night. He has won six of his 10 career starts, one open and five top grade affairs, never running in anything lower than an A1.

The track was running lightning fast at Kinsley where Da Man Joey picked up his win on a +60 track. Even with the going added on, 28.20 is a solid enough effort for the track, where the time that he stopped the clock at was just three spots off the fastest of the year to this point. 

Harlow saw the oldest winner of the week as Lissatouk Blake landed a D3 contest on Wednesday. He has won three of his last six runs at this level now, and even at the age of five, he is still a force to be reckoned within his grade. 

Quivers Blondie took the award at Valley, just a few spots off breaking the 16-second barrier. She has only had 10 races in her career, with this comfortably the peak run. It was only outing number five since joining the kennel of James Danahar, and there should be more to come from her.