Scooby and Teddie lead the way in Hove Cat Ones

Scooby sets new quickest 500m of the year at Hove

Punters could not pile the cash onto Scooby The Lady quick enough in the minutes leading up to her Coral Gold Collar heat and they were rewarded with a stunning success from the Richard Rees-trained star. Her 28.79 is the eighth quickest ever time over Hove's 500m trip, absolutely blitzing a couple of Category One winners to leave them trailing in her wake. 

Last week Bikini Bullet set a new fastest 500m time for the year and she repeated that exact same time again in her heat win for Belinda Green. She produced that despite having a length slower sectional than seven days ago but was once more quickly in the clear from her inside starting slot to run out a very comfortable winner over her kennelmate Raebella Bullet. Unfortunately for Green, three of her four semi-final starters will all meet in the opening heat next week. 

There was a heat double for Paul Young with Gav Nificent the quicker of his winning pair. In a race where four of the six runners all produced a sectional sub 3.50, it made the opening bend all the more important. The two who didn't come away were the pair to the left of the winner, and with the inside line into that first turn, he made a bit of room for himself before kicking clear. 

It was another tricky day for those drawn wide so credit to Young's Bowmers Wildcat for leading home an outside traps tricast off the back of a 3.44 sectional. A Juvenile Classic finalist last year, he had lost his way through the heat of summer but has found his form again with a vengeance of late, with this completing a hat-trick of wins for him.

After making the final of both the Puppy Classic and the Kent Derby, there was plenty of support behind Scooby Mustang in his heat but the lack of a look saw him move off into trouble on the run to the bend and then get shuffled back. He got safely through in a heat that went to Forgottotellya for Mark Wallis who took advantage of the crowding inside him to grab an unassailable lead. 

A slow break meant that the win from Droopys Plunge was the slowest of the heat winning times but given that it was his first step into a Category One competition since the 2025 Gold Collar, it was still a pleasing effort for Patrick Janssens. He had rattled off a Towcester hat-trick ahead of this success, returning in excellent heart with himself.  

Over the 740m distance it was Green's Teddie who produced the quickest heat win in the George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial. Quickly into stride, and producing a sectional that would be more than competitive in plenty of sprint opens at Hove, she was never going to be for catching, trying this far for the first time in her career.

The clash of the opening round was Mark Wallis's Vhagar taking on Jimmy Fenwick's Zenith Boom. The market suggested that it was going to be straightforward for the former, and although she did cross the line in front, she was hounded the entire way by the northern raider who was having his first ever look at the track and looked for all the world like he would win halfway around the closing two bends. 

Frankton Ivy is a dour stayer and this trip (and even further) on a stiff track is right up her street. Young's Bowmers Buddy was sent off the short odds favourite but despite being last in the opening stages, Carol Weatherall's runner made stealthy progress to grab the win in the dying strides. 

One of the most improved stayers at the track in recent weeks has been Derek Knight's Candolim Typhoon. This was a six straight success for him, just getting the better of Young's Underground Navy by half a length. Stiffer tasks await him if he is to keep this winning run going but he is producing runs at a high level. 

Michelle Brown picked up a heat winner with Drombeg Flash who got himself to the front a little earlier than can often be the case with him. He has kept warm company since being sent over six bends, behind Candolim Typhoon in a trial stake last week as well as Underground Navy twice over 750m at Romford, his win was a nice boost to the earlier heat. 

The other heat went to Jason Heath's Minstrels Six. The veteran rarely runs a bad race and as she showed yesterday, given the right gaps opening for her at the right time, she can be a danger to all. Her 9/1 success was the biggest surprise of the heats, able to win despite a 17.05 split. 

Sheffield doubles for Boon and Henry

Kevin Boon picked up a pair of winners at Sheffield with True Trend producing a smart effort to see off Betgoodwin Eddy in what had looked a two dog race in the market. The winner was just able to clear those inside of him to get to the lead off the opening bend, holding off his market rival by a length. Twice a Cat One semi-finalist, he has plenty of ability. 

480m around here on a slow track is plenty far enough for Boon's Bockos Waka Waka who was desperate for the line in the final 50m. His early pace had seen him open up a big lead but it had started to be eroded at the third bend, eventually getting home by a head to add to his sprint wins at Hove and here. 

Although Diane Henry was out of luck with Betgoodwin Eddy, she had a pair of winners on the card led by Betgoodwin Tutts. He scored by a wide-margin over six bends, quickly in control of things on the inside, he just kept pulling further and further clear, eventually crossing the line some 13 and a half lengths in front of his nearest rival. His 39.30 on a -45 track was a very smart time. 

Grouchos Frank was also a very short price to win for Henry, popping out in front in a 500m contest and scoring by seven and a quarter lengths. A Derby Plate finalist in Ireland when behind Ballymac Setanta, this was his English debut, landing the money with ease, with a step up in class sure to come about before the end of the year. 

Sean Parker was on target with Annadown Shadow, a third winner on the card sent off at odds of 1/4. He got a bump on the run to the opening bend but he was able to shrug that off to go around in front and from there, he was going to be the only winner, stretching clear impressively down the back to see off a decent yardstick in Grouchos Cossie. 

A sprint went the way of Rose Draper's Swift Hostile who was seen in race action for the first time since June. He had enjoyed a good first half of the year, breaking the track record at this venue before making the final of the Golden Sprint at Romford and the Dunstall Dash. If he stays sound, he'd be a contender for the National Sprint at Nottingham in December. 

Panda Power took the other open on the card for Darren Fretwell. He had been steadily progressive in four sprints at Dundalk, winning two of those ahead of making his debut for Fretwell over two bends yesterday. His half-brother Frenchyarrow was a decent type at Sunderland earlier in the year so it will be interesting to see how long it takes to step him up to four bends. 

Three for Hutton at Towcester

It was a decent day for the Kevin Hutton team at Towcester, taking. three of the six opens on offer. Jazzy Dancer did well to run down Alright Tallent late on, her fellow wide runner almost gaining some compensation having not made it to Dunstall Park for her Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks semi-final. The winner was backing up a success from last week having made the second round herself. 

Another adding a win to a success from last week (and indeed the week before) was Jazzy Velvet. He has made a very promising start to his racing career, winning four of his first eight outings to this point, with some smart sectionals helping to propel him to the first bend in front. 

It was Lively Lulu who was the middle leg of the treble, taking full advantage of a very slow break from the odds-on favourite to power her way to the front as the field headed down the back to run out a comfortable winner. From a dam line that the kennel knows well, she has very few miles on the clock for one of her age.

David Lewis had a couple chase home Hutton winners on the card but he had a winner himself with Alright Precious, with a Hutton runner chasing her home. She showed the best middle gears to hit the front down the back, pulling impressively clear by four and a half lengths come the line.  

There was a winner for Frank Gray with Razldazl Rumi taking a 460m contest on her debut for the kennel. She had impressed with an A5 win at Shelbourne back in August and took the step up in trip at Towcester well after three trials all over the sprint trip. A litter sister to Son Of Bolder who won at Monmore on Saturday, she'll get the 500m easily.

Heather Dimmock took the other open on the card with 10/1 scorer Jacktavern Susie. She had a battle for the lead throughout the contest with the runner-up, getting on top once and for all as they began to turn for home. 

Bono with top 10 Valley 460m time this year

Opens at the Valley earlier on in the day saw an impressive success from Clongeel Bono who's stopped the clock at 28.10 for Christian Darch. He had won seven times in nine starts from the middle of June to September but had not got his head in front for a few runs, returning to winning ways in good style here. 

There was also a smart run in a sprint with Ashway Blastoff dipping under 16 seconds for Adrian Rawlings. The veteran was quick into stride on the outside to come home five lengths to the good. He added to a couple of other smart efforts this year, also going under 16 seconds back in March. 

Donna Davy had a winner with Cefn Osian who picked up his first open race win on what was perhaps his last run as a puppy. He was led up by Hawkfield Blitz, went past that runner at the second bend but then had to hang on as the early leader was closing him back down as the line came. 

There was a 10/1 surprise as Tony Morgan's Hawkfield Bailey took a sprint contest. Her most recent win came in a D4 but she has tended to do her winning in clumps before so she might not have to wait too long for another one in her current heart. 

Anna Jeffrey took the other open on the card with Only The Future. She too took a sprint contest after three graded wins in her last eight starts ahead of this one, making the breakthrough at open level with her 18th career success.