It's 7/2 the field in the Arena Racing Company Northern Puppy Derby
The semi-final stage of the Arena Racing Company Northern Puppy Derby is on Thursday night with a wide-open look to the competition, with 7/2 the field.
Competitive semis for the Arena Racing Company Puppy Derby
It’s still 7-2 the field for the Arena Racing Company Northern Puppy Derby at Newcastle.
The 480m annual, which reaches the semi-final stage at the Byker track on Thursday, was won last year by Ireland’s Droopys Deploy and, once again, non-Newcastle trained runners are to the fore in both the ante-post lists and the Entain firms’ early prices on the three semi-finals of the Category One event.
Newcastle general manager Ian Walton still feels the home guard have the slight edge overall heading into the last-18 stage but is taking nothing for granted.
“The last Newcastle-trained winner was Links Maverick in 2023 - and what a career he went on to have, incidentally - but Diane Henry won it in 2024 with Clona Curly before Robert Gleeson won it with Droopys Deploy last year, so I suppose you could say we are due a winner, but things don’t work out like that!” said Walton.
“Either way, there’s huge quality on show and, given the make-up of the semis, making the first two will not be straightforward for any of the runners. But numerically Newcastle runners have the edge."
Coral and Ladbrokes make Ted Soppitt’s Ballymac Buddy, Maxine Locke’s Newinn Aero, and Nathan Hunt’s Goldcash Warrior respective favourites for the three semis - and, given Newinn Aero is a Romford tracker and Goldcash Warrior from Monmore, the visitors still very much have a say in the destination of the £12,500 prize.
Indeed, bet365 make Goldcash Warrior and Doncaster’s Soapy Suds joint-favourites for outright honours, while Goldcash Warrior tops the same list with Coral and Ladbrokes.
Coral/Ladbrokes bet on Thursday’s Arena Racing Company Northern Puppy Derby semis:
First semi: 1 Jimmyjimmyjimmy (5), 2 Ballymac Buddy (5-4), 3 Droopys Calla (20), 4 Woltemade (11-4), 5 Copney Queen (11-4), 6 Safe Vision (25).
Second semi: 1 Backtoyourbest (2), 2 Gothic Abbess (16), 3 Newinn Aero (7-4), 4 Droopys Trigger (9-4), 5 Barnfield Titan (12), 6 Mossend Brute (10).
Third semi: 1 Ballymac Service (9-2), 2 Bowmers Buddy (33), 3 Goldcash Warrior (11-10), 4 Slingshot Major (10), 5 Soapy Suds (13-8), 6 Fardoe Sleek (14).
Current outright prices:-
bet365: 4 Goldcash Warrior, Soapy Suds, 9-2 Ballymac Buddy, 13-2 Copney Queen, 8 Woltemade, 10 Droopys Trigger, 12 Jimmyjimmyjimmy, 14 Backtoyourbest, Ballymac Service, Newinn Aero, 33 bar.
Coral/Ladbrokes: 7-2 Goldcash Warrior, 4 Ballymac Buddy, Soapy Suds, 7 Copney Queen, 8 Woltemade, 10 Jimmyjimmyjimmy, 14 Backtoyourbest, Droopys Trigger, Newinn Aero, 16 Ballymac Service, 25 bar.
