Towcester reminder for supporting events to Derby
Competitions close at noon on Wednesday ahead of Saturday/Sunday start
Star Sports and bet365 update Derby betting - and specials
TOWCESTER reminds trainers that entries for the supporting competitions to the Star Sports & Orchestrate Ltd. English Greyhound Derby close at noon on Wednesday.
A batch of three-round Category Two events kick off this weekend with heats of the greyhoundtrader.com Stakes and Pricedup.Bet Derby Plate both supporting the Derby quarter-finals on Saturday, while heats of the Time Nutrition Sprint Trophy (270m), the Greatbet Challenge Trophy over 712m and the BGBF Truframe Champion Stakes (500m) for British-breds take place on Sunday's afternoon card.
The greyhoundtrader.com Stakes is restricted to greyhounds purchased via Greyhound Trader track sales, online auction or private sale, while preference in the Pricedup.Bet Derby Plate will be given to greyhounds to have progressed furthest in the Classic.
Towcester staged a full open-race card on Sunday with a number of runners being lined up for the supporting events put through their paces - before racing, too.
Richard Rees's GBGB Sprinter of the Year Shadow Storm moved well with a 15.55sec solo spin over 270m in preparation for his defence of the Time Nutrition Sprint Trophy, while Sean Parker's Queen Mother Cup winner Droopys Flare clocked a slick 29.09sec in a 500m solo workout with a view to the 712m event.
Sunday's open races saw runners knocked out in the early rounds of the Derby shine, including the Ricky Holloway-trained pair of This Approach and Rapido Benny who notched a double for the Hove handler in divisions of the Orchestrate Standard.
The former led early on his way to a 29.00 success, while the latter was also off the front to win in a fastest-of-the-afternoon 28.83 for the 500m trip.
Other winners included Patrick Janssens' Slick Skylark (29.21), initiating a Janssens double given Fabulous Aria's later Orchestrate Ladies win, and Jimmy Fenwick's Newcastle raider Zenith Pasha (29.16) in the Orchestrate Maiden, also over 500m.
Catching the eye in the Orchestrate Puppies was Maxine Locke's Annadown Warrior who cut loose down the back for a 29.09 score. Locke, who won the opening Orchestrate 460 Puppy with Droopys Vicar in 26.72, later completed a hat-trick as Ballymac Kobe produced a strong-running victory in 28.90.
The remaining opens were won by Laurence Tuffin's Fabulous Glance (29.27, 500m), Heather Dimmock's Chasing Larry (43.30, 712m), Pat Doocey's Longacres Arles (15.95) and Kevin Hutton's prolific Start The Engine (26.60, 460m).
Meanwhile, Star Sports have updated their specials markets for the English Derby, while bet35 have priced up Saturday's four quarter-finals of the £125,000-to-the-winner Classic.
Star Sports bet:-
Top Liam Dowling: 8-11 Ballymac Duffle, 5-2 Ballymac Ralf, 11-4 Ballymac Deniro, 14 Ballymac Iroko.
Top Bitch: 4-6 Scooby The Lady, 6-5 Strike It Skye.
Bet365 bet - Derby quarter-final:-
First quarter (8.18): 5-4 Epic Ace, 15-8 Proper Heiress, 9-2 Underground Gold, 10 Droopys Aladdin, 16 Bubbly Hogan, 16 Ballymac Iroko.
Second quarter (8.38): 5-6 Ballymac Duffle, 5-2 Scooby The Lady, 10-3 Gaytime Clyde, 16 Priceless Romeo, 25 Swift Magnison, 33 Sole Focus.
Third quarter (8.58): 11-10 Lennies Eddie, 6-4 Ballymac Deniro, 6 Lennies Tank, 10 Donishall Sam, 12 Texas Jack, 50 Droopys Sort.
Fourth quarter (9.18): 6-4 Ballymac Ralf, 11-4 Strike It Skye, 3 Hackney Corner, 9 Goldcash Warrior, 10 Getup The Boy, 12 Slick Sentinel.
