George leads the way in an Oxford six-timer for Kevin Hutton

Hutton dominates the Oxford card

Kevin Hutton had a spectacular Saturday night at Oxford, with Jazzy George the quicker of the semi-final winners in theultimatetipster.com Sandy Lane Sprint one of six winners on the night for him. He had run Shadow Storm to a head in the final of the Scurry at Dunstall Park last autumn and he will have another Richard Rees-trained greyhound as his main rival in the final next week.

Avarua Lake is the greyhound in question, a length slower during his win in the other semi-final. He suffered the first defeat of his career in the opening round a week ago, but he quickly got himself back on the winning trail, coming away a touch better than he did in his heat. 

The inside is going to be congested on the run to the opening bend in the final with 2024 Northamptonshire Sprint winner and 2025 National Sprint third Broadway Murty on the inside plus 2025 Silver Salver finalist Beaming Isla in two. It is good to see the big guns making it through to what should be a fascinating race next Saturday night. 

Arguably the most impressive performance of the night outside of the competition semis, on the clock at least, came from Hutton's Signet Bucko who clocked 26.65 in a 450m contest. That made it four wins in a row and five out of 10 in his career as he works through his last month with puppy status. 

Jazzy Belle is a January 24 whelp, but she has very few miles on the clock. She took a few runs to get off the mark but has won two of her last three, a litter sister to Derby hopeful Droopys Graph from a repeat mating that threw Droopys Kathleen, she is open to better in the future. 

There was a smart turn of early pace from Silvertown Blues to land a maiden contest for Hutton. A litter sister to newly crowned Graded Greyhound of the Year, Bacon Burrger, she stepped up on the smart winning form that she has shown at graded level to this point.

After four months away from competitive action, Ollie The Ox returned to racing with a victory. He looked a smart prospect on his way to the final of the BetGoodwin Maiden Series over 450m at the start of November and can build on this return.

Winner six for Hutton came over six bends with Sister Grace doing the business at 5/1. Things clicked for the first time over six bends last time out in an S1 race, quickly doubling up with her first open success.

Chasing Rachel was the quickest of the four staying races on the card for Heather Dimmock. She has been a revelation since stepping up in distance which her pedigree suggested she would be, seeing off a smart rival in Ballymac Madgie.

David Lewis landed a six-bend race with Alright Irene, powering clear once she hit the front past halfway to run out a comfortable five and three-quarter length winner. Five of her six open race wins have come over this 650m distance.

The other staying race ended in a dead heat with Cartoonist and Baggios Coyote crossing the line together for Craig Morris and Frank Bryce. It was a messy contest to forget with one runner falling and Bryce's half of the winning duo being disqualified for interference. 

Laura Pruhs had the winner of the opening race on the card, a sprint contest that went to Come Back Kid. It was nice to see a good end to a week for Pruhs given that it started in horrible fashion at Suffolk Downs on Tuesday. 

Three other 450m contests rounded out the card which included a couple of shocks. Peacock Express picked up the quickest of the three wins for Chris Hamblin at 8/1. The puppy winner was not the biggest shock on the card, however, that went to 25/1 scorer Gurteen Doc for John Campbell. Mulveys Champ rounded out the winners on the night for Ron Peckover.  

Central Park doubles for Rees and Puddy

Scooby The Lady was an impressive winner last night at the Kent track for Richard Rees. She's been in sparkling form of late at Hove and clocked a very smart 28.75 in her first race at Central Park. She went 10 spots quicker in a recent trial there, and suggested in her run that she is capable of quicker still.

Rees had to wait until the final race on the night to bring up his double. Zenith Eze had been unfortunate to be run down in the shadow of the post at Hove last time in one of the most competitive races that we will see this year. He came out the right side of a short head decision in a photo last night.

Dave Puddy also doubled up on the night courtesy of Glenhead Tom and Danas Star in back-to-back races. The former picked up a six-bend contest by a short head, holding off a late run from Millbank Rocco who had turned handy behind.

The latter was a surprise for punters at 8/1 but the time of 28.86 stands up to scrutiny in a race where he showed the best early pace to see off rivals that included Ballymac Axel and Table Toppers. The winner of three of his four starts at Derry before moving to Puddy, he was scoring for the fifth time for current connections. 

Cinderella Tell is regularly sub 3.00 on the split around here and his 2.94 sectional last night saw him pick up enough of an early lead to hold off his rivals, led home by Rackethall Brute. It was the 16th win of his career, the 12th in open race company with the other four all in top grade contests. 

The Zenith prefix is a growing powerhouse in the sport, with David Mullins providing them with a second winner on the card with Zenith Legend. He went around in front and just kept pulling, eventually crossing the line some eight and a half lengths clear of his nearest rival. It was his first time north of 575m and his 40.41 suggests it won't be his last.

It was sad to hear subsequently that their Zenith Kindy suffered an injury last night in Cinderella Tell's race that could put pay to a Derby campaign for him. That is a huge blow for connections as he is a hugely promising type. We hope that it was nothing too serious and he'll be back on track soon.

A couple of other six-bend races on the night went to market leaders in the forms of Front Polo for Kevin Proctor and Reality Power for Robert Emrey. The first of those hadn't scored since dead-heating Princess Matilda at Romford back in October, form that has looked strong since while the second named has been running consistently well of late, picking up her third career win. 

Snowdrop Louise picked up the first open on the night for Barry O'Sullivan, returning to four bends for the first time since September. A sole sprint on the card saw Dan Brabon's Swift Krab beat a pair of rivals with a minimum of fuss from the front. 

Droopys Expected lands the Lady Wulfruna

There was a surprise in the feature race of the evening as Butlers Lane was beaten for just the second time at Dunstall Park by Kim Billingham-Hine's Droopys Expected in the final of the Lady Wulfruna. The second half of the first dual fixture after the horse racing in the afternoon, he outstayed the Oaks winner who had had to work hard to get herself to the front after a flying sectional from Ceejay Sparkle.

Nathan Hunt had a double on the night from Droopys Flotilla and Bang On Edith. The former ran riot by more than seven lengths in a four-runner field, and given that she is closer to five now than four, she continues to impress.

We mentioned in the tips yesterday that the draw in five for Bang On Edith might not be quite as bad as it looked on paper and having ridden a bump at the opening bend she opened up to go clear by more than six lengths by the time the line came. 

The quicker of the two staying races on the night went to Bogger Cash for Mark Newberry. He had won from the front in a quick time at Central Park last month, and once he had got himself to the front last night at a relatively early stage, he was always going to be hard to hold. 

Chart Topper has a pair of open wins over 500m at Sheffield, so he is always going to be coming home strongly when he is in a sprint. Newinn Bachelor was his target last night after the Billingham-Hine runner went around in front. 

One other open on the night went to Brian Thompson's Hitit Agendavy. He produced a very quick 2.98 sectional on his first look at the track, having gone through the grades at Monmore. 

Teak quickest in Monmore Puppy Derby trial stakes

Four of the seven opens on Monmore's card were for the pups with the Premier Greyhound Racing Puppy Derby kicking off next week. Phil Milner's Keefill Teak was the quickest of the four winners, stopping the clock in 28.37. He is from a repeat mating of Droopys Addition and Nah Then Bella which produced BGBF British Bred Derby winner Keefill Rocky the first time.

The Arc Northern Puppy Derby final didn't go to plan for Ted Soppitt and Ballymac Buddy but he bounced back to score in 28.46 last night. It was a sixth win from just eight career starts, and he remains a youngster of huge potential alongside his litter brother Woltemade who landed that final.

Aayamza Shazza was behind Keefill Teak last week when finding all sorts of trouble. She was sent off favourite for that contest and her supporters came again for her, rewarded this time with a 28.51 success. Two wins in four starts have come from traps two and five, while she was only beaten a length from six and that adaptability will come in handy.

Although Jimmyjimmyjimmy was the slowest of the four puppy winners, Paul Young's charge still produced a 28.52. Less than two lengths covering the four of them suggests that we are going to be in for a very competitive Category One. He was runner-up to Woltemade in the heats of the Northern Puppy Derby but had to be withdrawn ahead of the semis. 

To add context to the times, Nathan Hunt's Goldcash Warrior won the other 480m contest on the card in 28.49. He made the semis of the Northern Puppy Derby himself after winning the first three starts of his career for Hunt. 

A sprint race on the card went to Catchem Boyo for Kim Billingham-Hine. He held off Longacres Arles by a head, that rival the only one to beat Good Acclaim to this point. At the other end of the spectrum, Carrick Scholsey won over six bends for Mike Burton at the second time of asking. 

Donny doubles for Lapidge and Watson

Doncaster are putting up plenty of money at present for their Saturday night action but it was the locals who came out on top in the main. Sam Lapidge had a double on the card, led by current kennel star Gothic Joshua. Last night was his third open race win for her at Doncaster to accompany a smart success at Newcastle on Arc Northern Puppy Derby final night.

The double was completed by Archies Gamble who had to overcome a missed break in a sprint, getting up in the shadow of the post by a short head. He is a new addition to the kennel, formerly a top grade sprint winner at Towcester for Frank Gray.

There was also a double for Susan Watson. Droopys Typical won a puppy contest over 450m in an identical time to Gothic Joshua, though she had a far more straightforward run around having led up. She is only an August 24 puppy out of St Leger winner Blueberry Bullet, and the £2,300 connections paid for her at the Monmore sales in November looks money well spent.

A sprint contest went to Watson's Swift Kev who caught one of Lapidge's in the closing stages. It was one of the more competitive races of the night with 3/1 co-favourites of three, with less than a length separating the first three home at the line. 

The ongoing sprint battle between Colliers Buckholz and Rental Crisis moved across Yorkshire from Sheffield with Paul Prior's dog coming out on top. He had won a 450m contest at the track last September but had not been back since, impressive from the front.

Buster Eight was not as quick on his first look at the venue in his sprint win but it was more than enough to see the Robert Copping-trained dog make it a perfect 4/4 since arriving in this country. Two at Nottingham and one over four bends at Suffolk Downs, he seems an adaptable type.

Another pair of 450m races went to Debbie Calvert's Bombay Fantasy and Grantstown Cross for Rab Galloway. The first was another photo finish winner on the card with a short head separating the front pair, while the latter made it a hat-trick of wins. A six-bend contest was won by Sambar Dream for Kelly Wilton, the veteran making the best of her way home from a very early stage. 

Tom Heilbron with a Pelaw pair 

It is not often that Tom Heilbron winners cause a bit of a shock but his brace at Star Pelaw both turned over odds-on market leaders. Little Pretender had a sprinting win at this track just before Christmas, flying the lids with a sensational 5.37 split over 435m which gave him enough of a lead to hold off the 1/3 favourite Untold Ripple by three-quarters of a length.

Both Hillside Lily and Burrow Bell have a string of wins to their names at this track but they both had to give best to Heilbron's Optic Pharaoh. At 8/1, he was not expected to play such a big role by the punters, but his kennelmate Rebel George had kept Burrow Bell busy at the head of affairs throughout, softening her up for the winners late charge.

Another standing dish at the track is Untold Ariary came from last to first in a 590m contest for Glenn Foot. She had won nine times in 13 starts now for Foot, including a perfect 7/7 here. Connections surely can't wait for the Stewards Cup. to roll around in October.

One other open on the card went to Here Comes Bob for John Watson. He has made an excellent start to life with the kennel, winning five of eight, taking the scalp of an excellent sprint yardstick last night in Nah Then Keefill.

Kellie continues her winning ways at Yarmouth

A single invitational race to discuss at Yarmouth where Rockmount Kellie made it four wins in her last five starts for Crag Morris. She picked up wins in A2 and A1 before Christmas but produced her best run with a win at Sheffield last time when dropped back to sprinting. It was two bends again yesterday afternoon, clocking 16.35.