Saturday Night Open Report – Regency, Sussex Cup & Pall Mall Heats Deliver

Premier Greyhound Racing Regency – Hove

The Premier Greyhound Racing Regency produced standout runs on Saturday night at Hove Greyhound Stadium.

• 🏆 Heat 1 (6.08) – Bombay Nutty (10/11f) led at the fifth bend and won by 2½ lengths in 41.71.

• 🏆 Heat 2 (6.26) – Romeo Empire (2/15f) bolted up from T2 to win by six lengths in 41.56.

• 🏆 Heat 3 – Mongys Wild returned with a come-from-behind win in 41.71 after a slow start.

• 🏆 Heat 4 (6.59) – Ivy Hill Cherry caused a 16/1 shock with a seven-length win in 41.53.

• 🏆 Heat 5 (7.16) – Vhagar pinged the lids with a 14.23 sectional and clocked 41.61.

• 🏆 Heat 6 – Garfiney Blaze chased down Burrows Eclipse to win in a strong finish.
  
  

Draw for the Premier Greyhound Racing Regency semi-finals was completed after the races.

As they approached the fifth bend, that gap was down to just a couple of lengths and the writing was on the wall. Blaze hit the front and powered clear with Art Riddler catching the eye in second.

The draw for next Saturdays Premier Greyhound Racing Regency semi-finals can be seen below: 

Coral Sussex Cup 

Next up at Hove was the first heat of the Category One Coral Sussex Cup run over the four-bend 515-metre trip at the south coast venue. 

Ower Mystery was sent off at 33/1 but the May 21 son of Droopys Sydney didn’t read the script as he pinged the lids and made all in 30.28. No Better Feelin finished second with race favourite Ballymac Kobe back in third. The forecast paid £189.69, well done if you found that one!

Heat two of the Coral Sussex Cup produced another shock with the Ricky Holloway-trained railer Dazl Hermes (33/1) cheating a draw in T5 to produce a quick away-made-all victory in 30.30. The Liz McNair-trained King Memphis finished second following a lengthy layoff. It's great to see him back in action, and he goes into next weekend’s semi-finals with every chance from a rails draw in T1. Golden Palace grabbed third a further three lengths back. 

Heat three was surely the race of the night with a short head separating Queen Shakira (7/2), Gary The Arb and Romeo Tomcat with the winner Shakira clocking 29.96 following a flashy 4.41 sectional. All three are safely into the semi-finals and all go into those heats with live chances. 

Slick Sentinel (2/9) was ultra-impressive in heat four at 8.41 when the wide seed pinged the lids and made all in 29.97, recording a two-and-a-quarter-length victory from Ballymac Axel, who caught the eye in defeat. Quill Quids finished third and a further length and a quarter back. 

Heat five at 8.59 looked ultra-competitive on paper with plenty in with chances but Mossrich Kylie pinged the lids from T4 and never looked like getting caught as the Derek Knight-trained local runner recorded 30.17 to reward those that backed her at 14/1. Chelms Bear stayed on well to grab second with Newinn Benni back in third. 

At 9.16 in heat six of the Coral Sussex Cup all eyes were on Proper Heiress as the Mark Wallis-trained railer ran from T3. The September 2022 son of Droopys Sydney showed blistering early gears into the corner following a level break and kicked three lengths clear of Missile One, who finished second. Razldazl Barkley finished third a further six lengths back. Proper Heiress recorded the fastest time of the night, taking the race in 29.69. 

The draw for the semi-finals of the Coral Sussex Cup: 

BetGoodwin Pall Mall – Oxford

At Oxford Greyhound Stadium, the BetGoodwin Pall Mall semi-finals were held at 8.09, 8.26 and 8.43.

• Semi-Final 1 (8.09) – Rioja Oisin (Kevin Hutton) clocked 26.43 with a 3.86 sectional.

• Semi-Final 2 (8.26) – Union Rebel made all in 26.65. Paradise Sky placed second.

• Semi-Final 3 (8.43) – Crossfield Enxo (13/8f) made all in 26.45, beating Madabout Peck by over five lengths.

Other Oxford Winners:

• Start The Engine – 26.52

• Dreamin Francis – 26.79

• Aero Becks – 26.85

• Rebel Pine – 26.89

• Salthill Sydney – Won the Oxford Stayers Open over 650m in 39.88 from T4.

BetGoodwin Pall Mall final draw:

Open Race action from Monmore

Nine open races were staged at Monmore last night with the John Lambe kennel landing a treble with 11/8, 4/7 and 5/1 winners. 

The first of the Lambe-trained treble was Da Mighty Man, who made all Ladbrokes 480 Maiden open race at 6.48 in 28.47. Next up was Flying Desire who led off the fifth bend before powering clear to a five-length victory in the Ladbrokes 630 Maiden in 38.28. The treble was completed by Swift Underwater who took the Ladbrokes 480 open at 8.47 in 28.64. 

Elsewhere, on the card we saw wins for Dhunstone Carmel (7/1), Thor Odinson (15/8), Sunnyside Broxi (2/11), Cunnigar Yousir (5/2), Whisky Instyle (10/1) and Inca Lewie (6/4).

The performance of the night can go to the Nathan Hunt-trained Inca Lewie who bolted up in the Ladbrokes 480 Maiden at 9.04. The lightly raced May 2023 son of Grangeview Ten moved off at lid rise from his inside draw in T1 but still managed to lead round and, once on the bunny, it was all over bar the shouting for those that took the 6/4 on offer from bookmakers. Lewie skipped clear of the chasing pack down the back straight and went on to record a seven-length victory. He looks a nice type and is worth keeping an eye on over the coming weeks, especially if he’s stepped up to six-bends.

Open Race round up 

Elsewhere on a busy night of open race action Head Count took the Arc Bitches Trophy final over the four-bend 491 metre trip at Central Park. Coppice Lizzie attempted to make all from T2 but Head Count got up late on to deny her. Head Count was sent off as the 10/11 favourite for the race and won by an official winning distance of a neck. 

Over at Yarmouth five opens took places with races over the sprint, four-bend and six-bend distances. The sprint open race at 8.29 was won by Our Boy Ben from T3 in 16.17 in a quick-away-made-all success. Next up it was all eyes on Strathrannoch in the Stadium Bookmaker Maiden Standard and the local bookies were taking no chances with the favourite sent off at 8/15. Strathrannoch led at the first bend and went onto record an eight length victory - go collect!

The C&C Sheds Maiden Stayers open at 9.07 didn't go to plan for favourite backers with Shes Joking finishing second at 8/13 behind Lemon Eunice from T6 who took the race to reward those that backed her at 11/4. Two heats of The Yarmouth Saturday Standard were next up and they went to Laugh Alot (9/4) in 27.38 and Acejukeboxpopper (11/10) in 27.79.