Warrior lands the Kent Derby for Maxine Locke

Picture from Central Park X feed

Category One triumph number two for Annadown Warrior

It was another excellent night for the Maxine Locke team at Central Park with four winners, including the big one of the night,  the Premier Greyhound Racing Kent Derby final with Annadown Warrior.

Sometimes early pace doesn't win the race and missing the kick comes in handy. With bundles of early across the lineup, it was Scooby The Lady and Underground Gold who set the speed heading into the opening bend. Proper Heiress paced up well on the inside but then couldn't make the corner, taking the two leaders wide, allowing Annadown Warrior to slide around the inside having missed the start just enough. 

He was followed there by Scooby Mustang who chased him home the rest of the way for Carol Weatherall. Behind the winner in the Puppy Classic final as well, he is a very smart performer in his own right and should continue to hold his own at this level, keeping on well to run the winner to just half a length.

There was a remarkable run from Underground Gold who almost picked up Proper Heiress again on the line for third. The amount of running he did to get anywhere close was spectacular, showing once more what an outstanding engine he has. Scooby The Lady came home in fifth with Watcha Gotcookin whipping them in. 

JR Racing have another win machine in Headford Lily who picked up a smart success on the undercard. She has been flying for months now, a credit to the team for being able to keep her sweet for such a prolonged period. Since July 4 she has 10 wins to her credit from 15 starts, with eight of those victories coming at this venue.  

The syndicate could have another very smart performer on their hands in the shape of Highview Levi who extended his perfect record at this track to 4/4. He has to prove that he can do it elsewhere as he is 0/3 at Hove and 0/1 at Monmore but it is very early days in his career, and he clearly has bundles of natural talent. 

Last but not least in Locke's winners was Newinn Aero who took a 664m contest from the front. He has found wins a little hard to come by but he has been sent into top table competitions this year which have been difficult for him. Things went perfectly here, so it will be interesting to see whether he can take this confidence and build on it. 

The final race of the night went to Ballymac Stud for Paul Young. He showed the best speed to the bend again to grab too much of a lead for his rivals to claw back. A semi-finalist in the Kent Derby, his gears to the opening bend will have him competitive at the top level throughout next year.

Young had a sprint winner earlier on the card with Lesleys Buddy who overcame crowding to get himself home in front by the narrowest of margins. A finalist in the Time Sprint Trophy at Towcester on Derby final night, this was the first time that he had got his head in front since late June.

Vhagar made sure that Mark Wallis didn't go home empty handed from the evening with a fluent staying success. She got herself out and around in front which was always going to set a task beyond her opponents. Credit to Young's Underground Navy who ran her to three lengths.

There was a double in back-to-back races for Robert Copping, starting with Snazzy Bolger over 491m. He had open wins prior to this at Sheffield and Doncaster but had not started from as wide a draw as trap four. He came away well to show that was no problem for him, in control of proceedings from an early stage.

The marathon on the card went to Copping's Laughil Pippa who turned over the odds-on favourite Innfield Fifi. The runner-up is a stout stayer but she found one with superior stamina getting the better of her late on here. Pippa has had very few opportunities over anything like this far but clearly relishes the test. 

Charming Charlie produced an impressive sprint win for Tony Dean, the quickest of the three on the evening. He had shown bundles of promise on his first four starts which had all come over 400m at Romford, the most recent pair chasing home the smart Scooby Amethyst. Away from her, he found this drop to two bends on a stiffer track to his liking, running out a three and a half length winner. 

The third sprint on the card went to Patrick Janssens's Yahoo Megan, her third victory in a row at this venue. She paced up well on the inside to take control from an early stage, adding another win to an already impressive career tally. 

There was a winner for George Andreas as Kitmins Kate blew her race apart with a dazzling turn of early pace to the bend. It was only her sixth start for the kennel, already a winner of a D2 and an A2 before making the breakthrough at open class level. 

Xtra Length was rather too green to do himself justice on his debut last week, checking at the sough when in front and losing his chance. There was clearly a lesson learnt there as having gone around in front again, he kept pouring on the pressure.

Jess and Storm set Dunstall standards

Two of the four Graham Holland runners made the final of the Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks with Fahrenheit Jess getting through as the quickest of the three semi-final winners, producing the fastest time of the year in the process. She led home Holding Hollie who added to the exceptional recent run of finalists for Richie Taberner.

Just three spots slower was Slingshot Poppy who was away and gone to book her place in the final for Brian Fairbairn. She needed those early yards to see off the strong-running challenge from Holland's Ballydoyle Tina who produced her best run of the competition so far, despite still not coming away as well as she can. 

Kevin Hutton picked up the other semi with Signet Nayla who has the benefit in the final of being the only seeded runner. Hugely consistent with her trapping, she is appearing in her second major final in a row at this venue after finishing second to Woltemade in the Arc Birmingham Cup decider. Strike It Skye followed her home for Mark Wallis, doing good late work once more. 

Over two bends, the reigning Arc Scurry Gold Cup holder Shadow Storm was the fastest of the three semi-final winners for Richard Rees. This venue suits him well, the winner of five of his six starts here, his only defeat coming at this stage last year to Bockos Buster. Newinn Souly chased him home for Kim Billingham-Hine.

Rees added another semi courtesy of Avarua Lake. He was not the quickest into stride but he paced up to grab the lead at the opening bend. He beat Shadow Storm from the same traps in a sprint on Regency final night at Hove back in August. Mark Wallis added a finalist in both competitions with Ballinakill Liam finishing second, the current Silver Salver champion making another big final.

Roanna Mamba produced a small surprise in winning the other semi-final for Michelle Brown, though he has shown in the past that when he is in form, he is more than capable of racking up a sequence of wins. Kevin Hutton's Magical Jason was sent off the 1/7 market leader but he qualified which is the important thing for those looking forward to a clash with Shadow Storm, with Hutton responsible for the second and third last year.

Kamala leads home Laurels one-two for Liam Dowling

The final of the Bar 1 Racing Laurels saw a Liam Dowling one-two as Ballymac Kamala smashed down the lids to lead up the field and go clear early on. She has enjoyed an exceptional year on the clock and this was the icing on the cake, producing her best break by a long way in the competition which allowed her the freedom of the track. 

Ballymac Setanta was sent off favourite for the second year running in the contest. He was the Derby Plate winner having also made the final of the Kirby earlier on the year as well. A very smart performer, he didn't lose anything in defeat, just unable to live with his kennelmate. 

Magical Jet and Pure Exile kept plugging away for third and fourth with Slick Sanctuary coming home in fifth and Droopys Unreal the other runner to make up the final field. 

Returning Storm leads Doncaster Puppy Derby times

Six heats of the Doncaster Puppy Derby headlined Saturday night in South Yorkshire with David Mullins taking two of the winners, including the quickest of the heat scorers in Returning Storm. He appreciated the step up in distance to add to an A5 Romford win and a Central Park sprint open success to score by six lengths. 

The previous race had also gone to Mullins with 14/1 surprise Shado Earth. He had a single start to his credit prior to last night when turned over in a Romford A4, but he showed the best pace from the traps to the opening bend and poured the pressure on those behind form that point. 

Coral Romford Puppy Cup winner Carrigoon Cece took the opening heat, showing her early pace off to great effect with a 2.05 split. The new distance was no concern for her and nor as it turned out was a wide draw in four for a bang railer. Her early gears quickly negated that and she went on to score by five and a half lengths. 

There has been plenty of quality form shown by Lady Gambet in her early career, landing a heat for Craig Morris. She was a finalist in the Arc Puppy Classic at Nottingham when behind Annadown Warrior before a couple of Yarmouth wins. This galloping track looked to suit her well, powering home late to grab the win. 

Another Yarmouth raider who took a heat home with them was Mark Brighton's Frankton Grange. He chased home Lady Gambet twice at Yarmouth in opens before picking up a couple of A1 contests there. On this occasion he grabbed the lead at the third bend to deny Mullins a third winner with War Hound who had taken the lead early on. 

The other heat went to Samantha Lapidge's Cockneys Zachery. His win time was some 52 spots behind any of the other heats but that came after plenty of first bend bumping across the lineup. He had to think fast at the third bend to check inside from his striped jacket with a rival moving off which was a smart move from a pup. 

There was a second winner on the night for Morris with Droopys Buck landing a 450m contest on the undercard. He showed a nice turn of pace from the line to the opening bend to go around in front, stretching clear of his rivals from there. The East Anglian Derby finalist now has three wins and three runner-up efforts in six visits to the track. 

Brown also added another winner to make it a double on the night with Bucking Bucks dipping under 17 seconds to land a sprint contest. The veteran had been scuffling for form of late but bounced back in no uncertain manner with a smart display form the front. 

Barry Denby was the fourth trainer to land a pair of winners on the night with Ballintubberstar picking up a six-bend race. She popped out in front and never saw another rival, adding to her success over course and distance last week. All six of her victories for Denby have come over the 661m trip here.  

Bellmore Whisky had started the double for Denby earlier on in the night, easily leading up his field from the inside berth with another smart display of early pace. That is now four wins from his last six starts, including a pair over the 483m distance. 

The quickest of the 483m races on the night was won by Savva Roberts and Droopys Trigger. He was another to show the best early pace to get himself on the bunny in short order, picking up his first win since a Sheffield contest back in May. 

Susan Watson took the opening race on the card with Sandwood Gabby. She has been in excellent form over both two and four bends at this track, scoring for the fifth time in her last eight starts and nudge her career strike rate past the 48% mark. 

There was a winner for Kevin Hutton courtesy of Velvet Harper. She was involved in a great three way tussle to the third bend before her stamina kicked in off the final turn to quickly put the race to bed. Her only Towcester win had come over the shorter four-bend trip, so they seem to suit her well. 

Coppice Dakota is a former Hutton charge, in the care of Luke Morrison these days, giving him a winner on the night to give some consolation for Maree Geordiepav being knocked out the Puppy Derby in the heats. She was only making her second start since late May, pitched straight into the Oaks on her return from more than four months off in the other. 

Chris Fereday got on the scoresheet with Moss King who took up the lead at the third bend to make it a hat-trick of victories after a pair of A1 wins at Monmore. He has only had 10 starts since joining the kennel, now the winner of six of them.

The other contest on the night was a four-runner sprint which went the way of Nicola Langley's Coonough Scobie. He was last of the field at the opening bend, not handling the turn particularly well but it allowed him to take advantage of trouble ahead of him at the second bend to go on and score. 

Monmore doubles for Hunt and Taberner

Ballymac Kandoo and Anglesey Milo combined to pick up a couple of open race winners at Monmore for Nathan Hunt. The former added to an A1 at the track last month with his first open race success, keeping on well to run out an impressive winner. Anglesey Milo landed the other from the front, his first run at the track since the semis of the Ladbrokes Gold Cup in August. 

Richie Taberner also picked up a double, over 480m with Holding Aero and 630m with Aero Boris. The first of those picked up the final race on the card, getting up on the line to deny Hunt a treble, seeing off Whyaye Mister by a short head. Boris was the one to cling on by a short head in his contest having gone around in front. 

Beatties Lena produced a quicker time over six bends with a win for Kim Billingham-Hine, clocking a flying 12.44 sectional on her way to a four and three-quarter length win. Ballymac Dixie took the other open on the card for David Page, getting up late on in the day to land the win. 

Foot and Miller with Star Pelaw braces 

Six opens at Star Pelaw saw a double for Glenn Foot courtesy of Clonlost Dexter and Slingshot Franky. The first named was a comfortable winner of a sprint contest, quickly secured by a slick getaway from the boxes. The latter was a six-bend scorer who also made all of the running, though he needed those early yards gained as he held on by a head. 

There was also a double for Ross Miller with Glavin Maz producing the quickest of the sprint times on the card on just her second start for the kennel. Emers Dasha won the first open on the night, getting her head in front in a messy contest where four of the five had their heads in front at some point in the run. 

Singalong Hazel impressed again in her second win for Roy Smith, adding to a smart sprint win last time out with a strong showing over four bends, stopping the clock in 25.40. The other open on the night was a hurdle contest which went the way of Ricky Holloway's Savanabetgoodwin.