British Performance of the Week - 30 December 2025

Skye strikes a blow for Wallis at Newcastle 

There have been very few runs at Newcastle in general that have been better than the one that Strike It Skye produced on Saturday night to win the Jimmy Wright Future Stars. Talk of running her in the Derby came about afterwards and that should be no surprise given the serious all around pace that she possesses. 

The final Category One of the year went to Rapido Sky in a pulsating finish of the bet365 Puppy Oaks. She will not have been a popular winner with most punters but her attitude is going to win her plenty more fans. A step up in trip on a stiffer track next year is going to see her in a much better light.

Shadow Storm won his third Category Two of the year when taking the National Sprint at Nottingham. He has only made 11 starts in his career, a trio of three-round Cat Two competitions and a pair of one offs. It is a ridiculous record that marks him down as one of, if not the top sprinter in the country, though Kevin Hutton and Rioja Oisin would have plenty to say about that.

From one slick performer to another. Slick Sentinel added another Towcester win to his CV, dipping under 28.90 once more. He is a winner of 14 of his 28 starts at the track, only three times finishing outside of the first three past the line. It is just a shame that there is no Blue Riband next month for him, a competition he was runner-up in earlier this year. 

The second quickest 500m time of the year was set by another of the Patrick Janssens kennel at Sheffield as Romeo Steel added to his perfect record at the track. It was his 23rd open race win of the year which saw him tied at the top of the tree alongside King Presley for the most wins.

King Presley did most of that winning at Central Park and it was at the Kent track that Bluejig Baron produced a flying time on his first run in four months. It has always been a track that he has enjoyed racing at, notching up his 13th win there, surpassing Hove where he has 12 victories to make it his most successful track.

Romford saw a couple of smart runs form inmates of the Katie O'Flaherty kennel. Silver Bucks was winning for the third week on the bounce but it was Carmelfromcarnew who produced the run of the week in the very next race. A 3.68 split is as quick as he has ever done, and the win time equalled his best. 

There were some decent open races at Star Pelaw in the week but it's the top grade win of Untold Ripple that gets the nod at the County Durham track. It was only race number six of her career, so there is a strong chance that there is going to be better to come from her, and given that this tied the 12th fastest time of the year, that suggests that she is going to be a serious prospect for 2026.

Another sharp four bends is Suffolk Downs where Essex Abbigail got the job done in fine style for Michelle Brown. She has won her last two starts at the track by a combined 11 lengths, very well suited to the confines of the circuit. She is another with limited starts in her career.

The Yarmouth track championships is a Christmas tradition, with Laugh Alot landing the pot on Boxing Day. The veteran was making her 100th start, choosing the perfect time to equal the second best sectional of her life. That put her in immediate control of a smart field, and she never looked like coming back to them.

It would have been tempting to close the Hove year out with the invitational win of Broadway Murty but the A1 success from Cloheena Boyce in a smart 29.24 just gets the nod. He ran Strike It Skye to two and a half lengths at the track back in November when he stopped the clock in an identical time.

Sole Focus won a Cork graded contest in 28.39 on his second to last start in Ireland, so it was no surprise that he has gone off a warm order in both of his graded races so far at Doncaster. He justified the price in the second one of those, and showed enough to think that he is going to be better with a few more weeks to settle into his new surroundings. 

There was an excellent sprinting performance at Sunderland from Monleek Jakarta. There have been 15 quicker times in 2025 than his 15.55, though only six individual dogs have physically gone quicker, but it tied the quickest run in 2024. It was a D2 contest but a clear career-best from him.

Very limited options over the Christmas period at Dunstall Park. Amys Star gets the nod for a D3 win in 16.13 as the best effort from the sole meeting that was run on Monday morning. 

It would have been fitting to make Swift Background the Swindon track champion this week, winning the final race at the track on Saturday afternoon. However, Ballymac Loca's 28.29 success takes the award on what was a smart run. The veteran has kept decent company, landing an A2 with a strong rally to get back up close home having been headed down the back.

Longacres King has won three of his last four D1 races at Monmore, with his most recent win the pick of the bunch. The Scurry finalist has been running at the top of his game this year, making the final of the both the Cat One Kent Plate and Silver Salver at Central Park over four and two bends. 

A Kinsley regular in this column is Ballymac Alyssa and she landed another award to close out the year with a smart sprinting success. It was her best break since heading back to two bends, a trip that is on the short side for her, the best of her form coming from the back of the handicap over 462m.

Another regular in this column, especially in recent weeks has been Rollerball at Valley. Those wins have come over the sprint trip, back up to four bends last week and getting her name in the win column once more for Donna Davy. 

It is a sprinter once more at Harlow, where Hollyhill Archie landed the pick of the runs. He has rattled off a hat-trick of wins in D3 grade now, always in control from the striped jacket.