British Performance of the week - 3 February 2025

With the Ladbrokes Winter Derby and PGR (Monmore) Puppy Derby due to get underway on Saturday, it was no surprise that the Black Country venue staged the week’s best racing.

El Tornillo was joint fastest for the standard distance last year (with Churchfield Syd) with a 27.88 run and he warmed up for the all-aged event with a 28.15 run. Last August, Queen Georgia ran Droopys Clue to a head as he clocked 37.54 in the Summer Stayers Final. On Saturday night, she gave an idea of her current form and fitness with a 37.58 run.

However, most attention will be drawn to the pups and none impressed more on Saturday than Mike Burton’s Droopys Aladdin (prepare for all sorts of commentaries with the line ‘he’s behind you’). The 19 month old clocked 28.28 in his racing debut, which is three spots faster than his experienced kennelmate, Droopys Suprstar on the same card. Hopefully it took his trainer’s mind off the rugby!

(And if you think you recognise the dam’s breeding, she has thrown a decent hound or two previously. There is a clue in the second paragraph)

Sunday’s Towcester open race card was pretty decent too. Mongys Wild was the second fastest hound over Shelbourne’s 750 yard course last year and looks an exciting six bend prospect for the MWD Partnership after clocking 42.58 for Towcester’s 712m course. That would have placed him in joint third place for the 2024 FOY (TR 42.02). However, he is just trumped by Droopys Plunge with a 28.57 run over the Derby course. That equalled his run in the opening round of the Blue Riband and is just 13 spots outside the track record.

While everyone wants to see open races for variety, they are seldom as competitive as a good top heat. Central Park staged a couple on Saturday. The first, won by Policia in 30.14 resulted in sh, dht, 1¼, 1¼, hd. The quicker of the two saw Borna Pam (11/8f) reverse form with Lostgrigg Joel (7/2) by three quarers of a length with Good Rainbow (15/8) a head back in third. The Paul Donovan trained, Ruairi Dwan bred winner clocked 29.38. A mention too for A1 hat-trickster Tierma Ziggy who closed 29.49 (-20) earlier in the week.

Perry Barr’s defending POW and top stayer Camp Parachute found himself running half a lap less on Saturday and he found one five lengths too good in the shape of Inca Gerry. Phil Barlow’s 7/4 favourite picked up his third A1 win at the track in 28.81 (-30) having previously won in similar grade at Sheffield and Doncaster where he also had 29.42 open race winning form over the 483m.

If this column has ‘an editor’s pet’, there is every chance that it would be Acomb Felix. Every bit as Yorkshire as a Geoff Boycott defensive block and a David Batty elbow in the mush, the defending Sheffield POW champ was back at Donny on Saturday night where he completed a four-timer and win 39 in career outing 96 (41%). Honourable mentions too for Stonepark Wes with a 29.75 win over the standard course and Kinsley sprint regular Aikins Gift who turned over the defending local POW Skywalker Tino in 16.90.

Meanwhile at Sheffield, there wasn’t a lot to choose on Sunday’s open race smorgasbord. But since the 500 metre course is generally the most competitive, we’ve gone for Heather Dimmock’s Olympic finalist Droopys Extragud following a 28.87 win. It was ten months ago that he followed home a certain Wicky Ned in the Bresbet Gymcrack Final.

Completing the Western point of the Yorkshire triangle, nothing broke 28.00 (462m) at Kinsley in the last week though there were three 28.00-28.10 winners. They included Gizmo Panther with a 28.06 run in A3. Jamie Hurst has put two and a half kilos on his back since his debut and Panther is also the only member of the group able to play the ‘puppy card’. Mentions too for Glenvale Dave (28.04) and hat-trick (A3, A3, A2) winner Takeiteasytiger (28.10).

If Yarmouth were to hold a vote for January Greyhound of the Month, it would surely go to Kereight Fraud. On Wednesday night Erica Samuels black completed an A1/OR/A1 hat-trick over the 462m course beating the best top heat runners at the track, though she might have had a tougher task had kennelmate Speedy Tornado not stumbled on leaving the traps.

More cracking racing at Newcastle on Thursday with the Geordie lass Blackhouse Kim following up a 28.36 A1 win with a 28.40 open. But we were never going to look further than defending champ Ballymac Lineout who chipped one spot off his recently set 640m track record. That’s five wins and a second in his six races over course and distance and the last pair in a combined 21 lengths.

Some decent stuff at Pelaw too. The star of the Sunday night card was Chloe Hardy’s Bramble Oreo who led home a sprint open which included prolific local winners: Sandyhill Jess, Tromora Supreme, Westfield Bullet and Laughil Rex. The Scurry finalist’s 14.45 was the quickest run over course and distance in almost six years.

A fair quiet week at North East neighbours Sunderland where a 27.53 proved to be the quickest time of the week over the standard distance. However, it was still a pretty decent run by 20 month old Antigua Icemani n A2 company. That’s a fourth win in 10 races at the track for Graham Strike’s black and white middle runner.

The Swindon selection was an absolute no-brainer. Shaun Gresham’s Ballymac Madgie destroyed a very decent six bend open race field in 41.39 for the 682m. The track wasn’t running particularly fast on a cold Thursday afternoon but she won by three lengths+, going away. By means of comparison, her fastest time last year was 41.29 and the quickest run throughout 2024 was 41.13 from Ballymac Loca who finished five lengths behind the 4/5f.

The Nottingham selection was altogether tougher. You could certainly make a major claim for Beatties Electra who closed the fastest 680 of the year with a 41.57 run on Monday. But on Friday, Hopes Ompaloompa produced the quickest 500m win so far this year, 29.64 following a 29.89 run last time out. Just about impossible to choose between them though.

Romford was even tougher with Untold Paanga and Whitewood Lenny winning in 35.02 and 23.73 respectively on the same night. We’ve gone for Maxine Locke’s runner simply on the basis that he was only 36 spots off the fastest 400 of the year while Nathan Hunt’s winner was 45 spots slower than Gary The Arb’s 34.57. No, sorry that’s all we’ve got to justify the decision.

There were open races over four different distances at Hove on Thursday. It included a Cute Out win in 29.31 over the shorter four bend trip, and a 41.89 over the shorter six course for Alright Patricia. But we’ve narrowed the selection down to two Derek Knight runners. Just missing out with the fastest 515m run of the year to date, Mossrich Kylie (30.10). But the selection is the two bend star Stanleys Carla, who in the last race as a pup completed a four-timer (D2, D1, O/R, O/R) in 16.46.

Essjay John was Harlow’s most notable winner last week when seeing off an A3 field in the fastest 415m run of the week, 26.55. That is three wins and five second places in his last eight races.

There was one open at Valley this week which went to Loot And Shoot in a maiden open. It was a tenth race at the track for Donna Davy’s black and his sixth win. It is a great turnaround for a dog who barely looked as if he was chasing in his only Irish race.

Finally, at 40.7 kilos, Signet Ernie was always going to take time to ‘grow into himself’. At three months short of his third birthday, the Hutton trained and bred 90 pound black projected his huge bulk around the Oxford 450 metres in his fastest time to date, 26.76 (-30). Of course, had the racing thing not worked out, Big Ernie and Big Kev had planned to go into personal protection.