British Performance of the Week - 5 May 2025

Broadway Murty won the Towcester award this week. Pic Jim Tate

British Performance of the Week 

The Monmore 684m trip has been so underutilised in recent years but it remains one of the most highly regarded stayers courses in racing. Given recent preparatory opens for the Golden Jacket, it has been interesting to compare winning times. On Saturday night, New Destiny’s 40.99 was the quickest of the six first round Jacket heats. Kennelmate Mongys Wild, who has the year’s quickest time, 40.90, recorded 41.24 on the night though he did have to overcome considerable crowding. He remains Destiny’s main danger. 

It took three failed attempts before Ower Cracker won his first race for June Harvey. However his 29.13 debut win for Hove’s 500m trip was overshadowed by Headford Asher’s sub29 run. However, the fastest hound over Shelbourne Park’s 575 yard trip last year (30.64) returned over the Hove 515m course on Thursday and won like an odds-on shot in the quickest time of the year to date, 29.82. 

King Presley is the joint second fastest over Hove’s 285m trip this year, alongside Mickys Tribute with a 16.26 run. Quickest is Presley’s litter sister Queen Sinead who clocked 16.21 when the pair met in late April with Presley well beaten. However, Presley is more of a Central Park specialist and set a new track record of 16.02 on Saturday night. To put the run into perspective the other sprint open and D1 races were won in 16.71 and 16.79 respectively. A mention too for March On Freddie’s 28.66 over 491m. 

Sticking with the sprinting theme, there was a fine run from Magical Bluebear at Perry Barr on Saturday. Mark Russell’s Scurry runner-up clocked 15.78 for the 275m which is the fastest time of the year. In fact, only Scurry winner Rioja Oisin (15.68TR, 15.71) has ever gone quicker over course and distance.  

While Signet Naylor and Southfield Poppy were earning £700 on a raiding mission to Perry Barr, another four members of Team Hutton were earning a quid or two at Oxford. Pick of the bunch was Start The Engine who was looking to follow up his 26.83 winning debut in a 450m maiden. A good professional performance was signed off with the fastest time of the week, 26.76. 

Another cracking night of high class graded racing at Newcastle on Thursday night where Naochra (4/7f) was fancied extend his winning sequence to four in the best of the three A1 top heats. However the dog who clocked 28.32 (+30) on his last visit to the track found Blackhouse Kim way too tricky to deal with. Stuart Ray’s home bred took up the running off the second bend and won as she liked in 28.40. 

Similarly, with so many hounds tied up in the Derby, Sheffield also went a week without opens though Sunday provided the best racing, including the only sub29.00 of the week, for A2 winner Loose Cannon. But we’ve gone for the week’s fastest sprinter and D1 winner on the same card, Acomb Irene. Now well into veteran territory, Kevin Ferguson’s multiple Cat One finalist reversed form with crack local sprinter Ellanne Best in 16.10. That was win 30 from career outing 86. 

The Derby effect was also felt at the Derby venue with the top middle distance performers all being prepared for this coming week. None of which should detract from the superb 15.50 run from Broadway Murty over the 270m course. Sean White’s Northamptonshire Sprint winner has a record of 13/14 over course and distance but the 15.50 run was a new PB and fastest of the year. (Aero Sacundai’s track record is 15.35.) 

Some fairly low key racing at Nottingham last Monday with Droopys Suprstar the pick of the bunch. Mike Burton’s black was back over four bends after breaking the Valley 645m clock. His 28.59 win over the 480 metre course wasn’t the smoothest run you have ever seen as he apparently set off for a tour of the stadium at the first bend, but class being permanent and all that, he ran away from the prolific local Velvet Madrid for a comfortable win. 

The bookies took a pasting at Swindon on Tuesday when nine of the 12 favourites obliged. The outstanding performance belonged to Hard Done Boy. John Campbell’s blue and white pup destroyed a 476m open race field by eight lengths in 27.84, the fastest time of the year by three spots. Earlier on the same card, Dashing Dude found 35 spots on last week’s run with a 15.26 for the sprint – .22 outside his own track record. While the ultra consistent Newinn Bliss extended her local winning sequence to seven with a 27.98 run. 

Meanwhile in the People’s Republic of Yorkshire, the Fradgley kennel continues to be in fabulous form between Kinsley and Doncaster. In the case of the former, none has impressed more than Daring Moaner who was only three spots off the fastest time of the year when destroying an A3 field by more than five lengths in 27.87 for the standard distance. 

On Saturday, Donny was practically awash with Kinsleyites and they made off with a nice few bob. The Fradgley kennel picked up the 483m open with Tiermana Blaze (29.66), the ‘Queen of Kinsley’, Ballymac Alyssa rubberstamped her class with a 29.73 open win - on her first look at the joint! But we are going with the Kinsley D1/A1 regular Aikins Gift following a 16.91 run in the sprint open, just one spot slower than his previous winning visit. Only Skywalker Tino (16.88) has gone quicker this year. 

No track produces three distance dilemmas more often than Romford. On Friday night, the quickest of the sprinters was Brindle Moon (13.42). Fastest over the standard distance was Pro Parker (23.71) while the best of the six bend winners was Untold Paanga (35.01). There isn’t much between them in terms of comparative merit, but we’ve gone for Nathan Hunt’s black who has three wins in his last four races. Although they aren’t comparable in terms of competitiveness, but his sectional was 12 spots quicker than the sprint open winner. 

Staying with a ‘Hunt’ theme, Harlow continues to run on the fast side of good, but take nothing away from Bang On Alfie. While it is true that his fastest-of-year run for the 415m was recorded on +40 going, the Di Jinks-trained black beat a field that included two of the fastest hounds at the track, Essjay John and defending POW Essjay Elstar. Not bad for a British bred hound whose career started out with Nathan in A8/A7 company at Monmore. 

Sunderland continue to stage decent opens on the their Friday night card with the sprints being particularly strong. Defending POW Sunnyside Jayden was returned at 2/7f when attempting to win a Cat 3 final. It didn’t go well with Nah Then Keefill prevailing in 15.86. However, that was put in the shade by the 15.52 run from track record holder (15.26), Stonepark Hoffa. There was a decent run too from another member off the Roberts kennel, the August puppy Steadyon Marlene with a 27.18 run over four bends. 

Once again Yarmouth provided the only marathon form across the 18 tracks this week and once again Mrs Doyle was the one making the headlines. Although her winning time of 53.58 for the 843m was back five lengths on last week’s exceptional 53.17, Roy Peckham’s black always seemed to have the measure of Aayamza Jackpot who was a short head away at the winning line. 

After a brilliant March, with four wins out of four, Unwanted Present (1/2f) was expected to see off the opposition in Sunday’s top middle distance open at Valley. Regulars were treated an absolute buckle but it was last week’s POW Quivers Rafa (6/1) who defended his title by getting up in the last stride to win by a head. 

In all honesty Muirside Spiral is a token selection for Pelaw as there were only six races staged there last week. His 26.22 win in A4 was the fastest of them.