Floyd Amphlett’s Weekly Greyhound Racing Round-Up: Regency Glory, Derby Heroes & Speed Stars

Regency & Sussex Cup Glory for Team Wallis

It was only fitting to begin with Hove, where Mark Wallis delivered another double Category One blow.

• - Proper Heiress took her second Sussex Cup;

• - Mongys Wild claimed a fifth Regency win for the kennel.

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Both runners went unbeaten through their events, running just slightly slower than their semi-final performances. These wins further reinforce the view that Wallis may be fielding the best staying greyhounds ever produced by Imperial Kennels.

Other notable performance on the night include a joint fastest sprint win this year for Shadow Storm; King Memphis (28.96) became only the third hound to break 29.00 (500m) this year, while Salacres Beleza enhanced her growing reputation with a 59.81 run for the 955m. Wouldn’t she have loved a third lap? 

In addition to losing his Regency title, Garfiney Blaze found his name scrubbed from the Central Park track record list following a 40.10 run from Proper Dangeress over the 664m course. Paul Donovan’s black was two spots inside the old record though Blaze’s clock was on 30 spots slower going. On a track running on the ‘fast side of normal’, Sevenofdiamonds was 10 spots outside the sprint clock while Bluejig Baron was 21 spots outside Proper Heiress’s 491m course record. 

Stars at Towcester and Nottingham

Wallis continued at Towcester, where:

• - Pavilion Team ran a sharp 15.60 sprint;

• - Strike It Skye, a January '24 pup, won on debut in 28.93—the fastest four-bend run of the week.
  
  

In Nottingham, Acomb Felix returned with a 29.50 (500m) win—his 51st career victory and one of the fastest clockings of the year. Later in Doncaster, Felix did it again: 27.35 for 450m, third fastest of the year.

A mention too for the in-form Stonepark Wes and his 29.43 win over 483m; his fourth win in his last five races over course and distance. 

The Saturday night open action also dominated Monmore this week. Ballymac Blanco was unlucky not to be selected last week after his 28.17 run over the standard. He stepped up on that in his most recent outing with a 28.12 run. Perhaps his most significant race was in the Derby though. Maxine Locke’s coloured dog finished fourth in a second round heat at Towcester, failing by just a neck to hold off Droopys Plunge for a qualifying place. And we know what happened next. 

Zebedee Cluasa was a four length second to Ballymac Blanco at Monmore but his litter sister Bang On Edith was faring considerably better in her raid on the BGBF British Breeders Oaks at Oxford. Her 26.67 was the fastest of the eight sub-27.00 runs for the 450m trip on the night. It must all seem such a long time ago since she made her debut in A7 at Romford . . . and was KO’d at the first bend. 

Perry Barr regulars had a graded-only diet this week though the specials board featured a competitive A1. The layers went 13/8 Kilwest Freddie, 9/4 Oswoald, 5/2 Lightfoot Ricky and the trio dominated the five-runner field. They crossed the winning line within a length and a half of each other with Kate Harrison’s Lightfoot Ricky prevailing from the favourite in the FOW, 28.44. A fairly tight finish for a dog whose winning Irish debut was 19½ lengths. 

After a run of exciting weeks, Swindon went a bit off the boil this week with no opens. Best of the graded fare was A1 winner Ballymac Seomra with a 28.20 run. That’s three wins and two seconds in her last five runs for Angie Kibble’s super consistent brindle who began her career back in A5. As a daughter of Vulturi, and given her running style, you would fancy she would stay six bends. A shame there aren’t more graded opportunities for her type. 

Three A1s at Newcastle last Thursday: 28.64, 28.34 and 28.30. Quickest of the trio was Moanteen Webby. Angela Harrison’s brindle, who contested the opening round of the Puppy Classic two years ago, has only averaged one race a fortnight since then. The fact that he has won three of his last five races and that he was within six spots of his personal best will hopefully hold him in good stead. 

Friday night was ‘sprinters night’. At Romford, the prolific Teaboy Brownie went to the 225m traps for the 30th time and produced a new personal best of 13.34, just two spots short of Divine Rule’s FOY. A mention too for eight bend star Bright Jewel who won for the seventh time in 12 attempts at the 750m course. 

Meanwhile, in the North East, Toddys Tank was the quickest of the night’s four sprint open winners at Sunderland. Tom Heilbron’s brindle, a winner of a small novice stake at Clonmel (as Move Over Jacko) and surely destined to return to four bends, clocked 15.51 for the ‘261’ which is 25 spots outside the clock. Nothing broke 27.00 over four bends this week, the closest were the 27.05s recorded by Punch A Hole and Unanimous Kai.  

The fastest four bend run at Harlow was also shared this week between Blue Gemstone and Rapido Aria in separate Wednesday meetings. The judge reckoned Aria’s was in the higher grade, but that Gemstone was on less favourable going. In all honesty, both 26.39s would probably struggle against the best of the Hurlock or Witton hounds. 

There was only one spot between the two quickest middle distance races at Yarmouth this week with Dick Turpin clocking 27.50 and Puckane Sydney winning his top heat in 27.51. In terms of exciting racing though, the D1 sprints have been different level. Saturday’s top heat featured Lissan Light (16.15 recent - 100/30), Two Slip Jigs (16.11 - 5/2), and Grouchos King (16.11 – 5/4f). But the honours, in a photo finish, went to Erica Samuels’ Our Boy Ben (7/2) with a 16.20 run. 

Wonderful Ollie clocked 27.88 in his last race at Yarmouth, an A2 back in June. Although Star Pelaw wouldn’t seem the most obvious destination for an open race raid, Dan Bell’s hound made it two wins from three attempts over the 590m trip with a 35.82 win on Sunday. Just missing out on selection is former Oxford runner Dreamin Porcha with a 25.43 run on debut for Glenn Foot. While Jason Ray’s Cowley A2 runner Savana Pink won the night’s quickest sprint open in 14.38. 

Like Yarmouth, there were also a number of ‘sub28s’ for Kinsley’s 462m this week with Highview Dance the quickest of them all in 27.69. A mention too for Jan’24 pup Grumpy Amber following a 27.89 run. The honours though also go to the sprinters, or one in particular. Lightfoot Elle had won each of her last two A3 contests before being switched back to two bends where she had a best of 16.15. Not any more. On Sunday night she ran the quickest ‘268’ of the year to date, 15.88. 

She might only have been contesting A3, but Marinas Malta produced comfortably the most impressive run of the week at Valley. The 25 kilo blue, whose best Irish line of form was a 29.49 (525) at Mullingar, and had a best of 28.22 in Wales, made it three wins in her last four outings with a new PB of 28.12. Kranky Tom was quickest over the sprint (15.96). 

Rose Draper’s kennel dominated proceedings at Sheffield last week with Slippy Keith producing the most impressive run, by far, when taking an A1 in 28.76 (+20). Equally impressive, as a training feat, was the return after five months off by Swift Hostile who completed a delayed four-timer when beating Good Knick in a decent top heat in 29.23.  

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