British Performance of the Week - 9 June 2025

British Performance of the Week

On his second look at Towcester, Bockos Diamond clocked 28.51 off a 3.93 sectional. On his fifth sighting of the track – this time in race conditions – he clocked 28.51 off a 3.93 sectional. On his eighth look at the track, in the semi finals of the Greyhound Derby he clocked 28.51 off a 3.95 sectional. That’s four wins and two thirds of UK form to go with the 16 wins and one second of Irish form. One final thought. In his eight races and wins over Shelbourne’s 550yds (503m), he fastest two runs were both 28.94. A useful form comparison?

Lion Heart, who was last in the 2024 Champion Unraced Final won by Bockos Diamond, completed a four-timer at Sunderland on Friday when clocking the fastest ‘450’ of the week, 27.07. However, we are overlooking Carl Jackson’s runner in favour of  David Mullins’ youngster Santas Amigo who landed an Arc Puppy Trophy trialstake in 27.08. The 28.04 Monmore winner is likely to be among the leading fancies for the £7,500 event which gets underway next Friday.

The 2023 Champion Unraced winner Carrick Fergie was made a 2/1 chance to land a cracking 500m open at Nottingham on Monday. Heading the market at 4/7f was the reigning POW Jetstream Breeze. But it was Gary Hamilton’s black, who boasts a 28.68 over the Sheffield equivalent distance, who came out in front with an impressive 29.25 run. Only one hound has gone quicker this year, Peter Holland’s Breeze with a 29.16 run.

If you Google the term, ‘track specialist’ the result comes back as ‘Southfield Poppy’. Kevin Hutton’s home bred went to the Swindon 476m traps for the ninth time on Tuesday and picked up her eighth win. The sole defeat (2nd nk) came at the paws of kennelmate Coppice Ella in the second round of the Produce Stakes and Poppy duly rallied to win semi and final. Her 28.14 win on Tuesday was a ‘last gasp ‘holder-on-er’ but extended a winning sequence to five. Also a ‘hands up’ moment. The ‘no excuse’ defeat of Droopys Suprstar by Ballymac Mags in 41.74 suggests the racing office were actually spot on in their going assessments a week earlier.

There were five sub28 second runs at Yarmouth on Wednesday which included two A1s and an A6. Quickest of the lot was Erica Samuels’ top heat winner Good Extra with a 27.59 run on going rated at +20. With the atmospherics/weather playing havoc with the going, which started off at +40, dipped to +20 and ended up at +30, June 4 might be one of those meetings when times are almost worth ignoring.

For 24 hours, Good Extra’s litter brother Grovenor Tails looked like making it a 462 metre double when clocking 27.91 (+10) in A3 at Kinsley. However, that run was bettered by a single spot by Scuba Steve. It was the fifth fastest run of the year and just six spots off Fairyhill Daisy’s run back in January. A mention too for Teebay who joined Brosna Zuzy at the top of the graded winner’s table with nine wins.

Not much to separate the Hove open race winners over various distances on Monday. Droopys Highfive won the only sprint (16.50). Moving up a level was Art Riddler’s 41.73 over six bends. But all things considered, it has to be Matt Dartnall’s Long Fellow whose 29.08 was the quickest of the plethora of 500m open winners. The 2023 Puppy Collar winner and Pall Mall runner-up wouldn’t get onto the kennel’s ‘top ten ever’ list, but he is never out of his depth in this level of company.

Thursday night’s Newcastle card was marred by the injury to the prolific Delvin Cat – who was the defending Performer of the Week – who ‘checked half’ and was beaten a distance. Which tends to unfairly distract from a flawless performance from Slingshot Shaz. Brian Fairbairn’s black held off the game Wraysbury Katie by half a length in 28.32. That’s three wins and a second (sh) in his last four runs over course and distance.

Bombay Buck arrived at Romford with no Irish race form and looked very novicey in his early races culminating with him taking a nasty fall earlier in the year. He still lacks track craft but is not without pace and produced the fastest 400m run in a couple of months when clocking 23.66 on Friday for trainer Paul Young. Mentions too for 19 month old Blackrose Tina following a 23.93 run, the week’s quickest 575m runner Droopys Rosie and a 750 win for Gothic Kitty in a field that included Bright Jewel and Ballymac Taylor.

Three days earlier and 20 miles away, the ex-Crayford and Romford grader Soul Destroyer produced the fastest middle distance run of the week at Harlow, 26.35 for the 415m. Debbie Hurlock’s A4 winner might have had the going in his favour (+30) but he has almost a 1:4 strike rate from his 102 UK races to date.

The fastest middle distance run at Monmore this week was a trap-to-line 28.21 (+20) A1 win for Longacres Gordon. Although Zebedee Cluasa was a couple of lengths slower in 28.37 it was recorded on (+10) going in open race company. It was also hugely pleasing on the eye with Nathan Hunt’s regular front runner having to show track craft and determination when reversing form with Hilton Wolf. That’s four wins in his last six over course and distance for the home bred.

There was a time when Central Park’s racing circuit couldn’t cope with more than a light shower. That is no longer the case, so it was a surprise when Saturday’s card was cancelled due to rain. With no open fare, the week’s most notably performance came earlier in the week from Barry O’Sullivan’s Hot Jackie who just got the better of Millbank Lily in a competitive A1 clocking 29.39 (-20). 

It wouldn’t be often that a 28.66 run would be quick enough to earn the plaudits at Perry Barr but that was the case at Perry Barr this week and to be fair, Got One Better’s narrow victory in A1 was probably the week’s best contest. That’s three wins in his last four for Robert Hall’s black. As for the name. . . presumably it presumably continues to ‘at home’, an expression used by breeders when looking to sell a dog. There was a litter brother, Seeyoulaterkid, renamed to Bubbly Everest, who won by 12 on debut at Cork, but hasn’t been seen since a March trial at Towcester.

There were some flying performances at Doncaster on Monday. Redbrick Daisy produced the fastest sprint of the year (16.83). August puppy Droopys Artilery romped up with a 27.47 for the ‘450’. On Tuesday, Velvet Mikey clocked a hand timed 29.26 for the 483m. Now while Mikey was beaten in a Saturday night open, Sean Parker’s Artilery won again in 27.57 while Redbrick Daisy clocked 16.78 to knock a further five spots off the fastest time of the year for the 275m sprint.

By their standards, Oxford staged a fairly low key Saturday night card with one maiden open. The quickest run of the week was clocked by Clona King who clocked 26.79 on going rated at -10. To think there would have been a time when a 2/5fav graded winner would have caused heart tremors at BAGS HQ. No doubt Richard Yeates’ runner will feature in the forthcoming Pall Mall with the schedule advertised in the latest edition of the GBGB Calendar. (First round Saturday July 12).

But anything Oxford can do, Valley at do better. On Sunday, the defending Valley POW Unwanted Present went to traps at 1/3f in a four-runner A1 contest. The fastest ‘460’ runner this year (27.87) and track record holder (27.84) duly obliged though it wasn’t the walkover that the SPs suggested with a three quarter length win over Loot And Shoot in 28.20.

When the quickest ‘280’ of the week is 16.18 (Drumdoit Pat), the fastest ‘480’ is 28.04 (Good Knick) and the best ‘500’ is Ivy Hill Sancho’s 29.11, a ‘Fastest of Year’ 39.12 open race win over six bends will always be the top trump at Sheffield. So huge credit to Sean Davy’s Very Elegant following a flawless trap-to-line win on Sunday afternoon. That’s her seventh dual distance win in her last ten races (100/30, 9/4, 15/8f, 2/1f, 4/1, 5/6f, 5/6f).

The week concluded with a track record equalling performance at Star Pelaw. Bitzer Maloney, whose UK career kicked off in A6 at Sunderland recorded 14.33 on Sunday night. It was his sixth win in his last ten races over course and distance and meant a share in the 11 year old clock with Forest Vic.