Three Romeo wins this week set the standard on Britain's tracks

Romeo domination for the Janssens and Firmager team

It was the Jannsens and Firmager show at Nottingham last Monday with five and four winners for the trainer and breeder respectively. In view of a couple of track records and a Select win for Wicky Ned, it would be easy to overlook the performance of Puppy Classic winner, Romeo Alliance. 

His 29.24 run was two spots slower than Ned in the Select Stakes though the locally bred pup left a minimum of three lengths on the track. That is seven in a row and a unique Juvenile/Puppy Classic double. Brother Romeo Ability went one spot under Swift Hoffman’s 480m clock on the supporting card while another from the Melton Mowbray win factory, Fabulous Heka, equalled Romatic Rambo’s 730m record. 

While Romeo Ability might have missed out on the Nottingham selection, Alliance’s litter brother more than made up by landing the quickest of Saturday night’s Produce Stakes first round heats. Interestingly, second quickest on the night was our defending track champion Eagles Respect with a 28.06 (N) run, a week after clocking 27.94 (N). 

Like many Produce Stakes, the first round can be a bit uncompetitive (not that that issue is restricted to this competition) but there will be some interesting clashes to come in the later rounds, not least another round of sibling rivalry. A mention too for Dashing Dude whose 15.05 sprint win earlier in the week was one spot off Eze’s FOY. 

But they weren’t finished there. On Sunday Romeo Tomcat produced far-and-away the best performance of the week at Towcester when beating Antigua Kestrel by more than seven lengths in 28.57 (-10). How does that compare with the best? Before going allowance is taken into consideration, it is the joint sixth fastest run of the year for the Derby course, a time shared with Derby winning kennelmate Droopys Plunge. However Plunge’s two runs were on ‘N’ or +10. Tomcat’s calculated 28.47 compares favourably with Lennies Desire’s track record of 28.39 (+10).  

Tomcat was of course the runner-up in the Gymcrack Final (that also featured Romeos Alliance and Ability). On Sunday, Tomcat’s litter brother, Romeo Cobra clocked the joint fastest time of the day, over Sheffield’s 500m course, 29.14. The other 29.14 winner was the defending POW switching back to four bends, Distant Fox. However, both were still some way off the quickest run of the week, 28.79 (+20) from Superb Morning, a dog who began his Owlerton career in A7. 

The Romford selection was possibly the easiest of the week as superpup Magical Luka stepped up on his 23.68 run by posting 23.51 in preparation for the Puppy Cup which gets underway this week. It is the joint third fastest time of the year and more than good enough to be compared with the last five winning times in the event: Fire And Ice (23.84) Romeo Crusade (23.94) Romeo Hotshot (23.59), Brookside Richie (23.68) and Tenpin (23.61). 

Romford raider Paul Young had a good night at Hove on Thursday. His Bowmers Wildcat was the quickest from a selection of ‘500’ opens with a 29.26 (-10) run. But comparatively speaking he was probably outshone by his kennelmate Uncle Ed who landed the quickest of the sprint opens in 16.26 (-05) with two recent top performers Boradway Murty and Beaming Isla following him home. Deadly Disco was the pick of the stayers (42.22 -15) with his third win in his last four outings. A mention too for veteran Clairkeith Santi with a 29.25 (+10) win in A1. 

Thursday evening continued as Newcastle’s feature meeting of the week with 14 runners spread between three A1 events. Quickest of the trio was John Flaherty’s 28.44 winner Greenwell Crazy. It was a third success in his last four outings for the home bred Northern Puppy Derby semi-finalist. A mention too for Steve Caile’s veteran A2 29.20 winner Crooks Patsy, successful for the 24th time in his 100th race. 

Once again though, the best racing among the two ARC owned North East tracks came at Sunderland where the clash everyone wanted to see took place on Friday night. Track record holder Stonepark Hoffa was an odds-on shot when beaten by Sunnyside Jayden back in April but could point to trouble in running (Mid,Bmp&StmbRnUp,Crd2). 

Punters reckoned he had been unlucky and went 4/9f about the Roberts runner even though Jayden did a faster run in separate opens last week. They got is wrong again as Ted Soppitt’s brindle prevailed in a second consecutive 15.54. Two more points. One, Hoffa and Jayden were bred by the same man, Shane O’Gorman from Co.Waterford. Also worth noting, King Bono, from the brilliant sprinting litter (King Presley, Queen Marie) was only two spots slower when winning a separate contest. 

On the subject of which, King Presley was back to defend his POW standing at Central Park on Saturday night and did so with ease clocking 16.21 for the 277m, 20 spots short of his PB and his tenth win from 16 races over course and distance. Kanturk Mills (29.44 - N) was quickest in the opens though that run had been bettered the previous day by A1 winner Fastlane Blu with a 29.42 on -20. 

Harlow was flying on Monday when nine hounds broke 27.00 Quickest of the lot, Glenvale Sasha produced a 26.24 (+50) run in A5. Doreens Ash was also in the mix when winning  an A4 in 26.29, though it was a four runner field, with only two completing the course. Having only won once in her first 15 races, Sharon Saberton’s Sasha has four wins and a second in her last five races. 

Should an A4 winner be ranked above open race winners simply on the basis of time? Yes, when the winning distance is seven lengths, the times are recorded within minutes of each other AND the grader is just 21 months old at the time. We are talking Good Kodiak who clocked 28.28 at Monmore on Saturday night. The four opens were won in 28.31, 28.32, 28.40 and 28.42.  

Yarmouth possibly stage more competitive A1 races than anyone else. Nevertheless it was a disappointing overall entry for the East Anglian Derby with a limited number of top class outside runners. They deserve better for an event with a £15K first prize. Acejukeboxpopper is one of John Mullins’ eight entries and the 27.62 A1 winner was the quickest of the A1 winners in the week prior to the prestige event getting underway on Wednesday. 

A full open race card at Doncaster on Saturday night leaving some decision making over the various distances. There was a 27.57 run for Keefill Rocky (Acomb Felix just failed to get a clear run but otherwise went well), there was a 41.65 six-bend win for Daring Moaner and a 29.36 over the standard for Catunda Ciaran. Overall though, we’ve had to go with the 16.74 sprint win for Rental Crisis. From his last 18 races, that is 13 wins and three seconds for Dave Fradgley’s black who was marked ‘awkward’ in D1 at Kinsley earlier in the year. 

(Incidentally, the eccentric wide running style of hat-trick winner Knockard Joe cost him dearly in the staying race when he ran off the track at the second bend and hit the outside wall. The track tell us that thankfully, although a bit battered and bruised, Joe sustained no serious injury) 

Start The Engine looked unstoppable when winning his first seven races at Oxford before going out of the Pall Mall in the first round. Kevin Hutton’s black went to traps 4/6f on Saturday night with two wins and a second from his last three outings and extended that to three-from-four with a 26.86 (-10) run. A mention too for puppy kennelmate Baran Tombstone who was only two spots slower. 

The prolific Loot And Shoot bounced back from a sole defeat to make it four from his last five races at Valley, though his winning time of 28.37 was way short of his best and inferior to Hawkfield Hugo’s 28.03 10-length win on the same day. It was career best performance following eight successive losses for the ex-Mullingar A2 runner. A mention too for Crokers Bluebell in clocking the week’s top sprint, 15.87. Bluebell is a half sister to the track’s top sprinter this year, Crokers Best (15.60). 

With the ungradable (levels 462) Ballymac Alyssa away on the open race circuit, it was left to kennelmate Ballymac Wynett to represent the Heaton range this week and she did so in some style with a 27.59 run in A3, the third fastest time of the year. For those racing fans who know their breeding, Wynett’s will be quite familiar; she is a litter sister to last year’s English Derby winner De Lahdedah. 

Last but not least, Star Pelaw who staged two open race meetings in the last week. On Monday, Emilys Superstar won for the eighth time in her nine races over the track’s 590 metre course. On Sunday, Glenn foot’s 32 kilo brindle extended that record to nine from 10 with a 35.92 run. A mention too for Tom Heilbron’s Open Debate who was the week’s quickest four bend winner with a 25.45 run.