CHEAP SANDWICHES 6/1 Fantastically consistent wide runner who has been first or second in his last 14 races. Tonight he ran his kennelmate, the competition favourite to a short head and was closing from the final bend. I am certain had he been drawn inside him the placings would be reversed because he has slightly better early pace/
I have five dogs backed ante post and would hope to get at least two to the final; 1pt ew Cheap Sandwiches 6/1 1pt ew Bombay Pat 8/1 (now 10's) .5pt ew De Lahdedah 12/1 .5pt ew Droopys Trade 40/1 .5pt ew Slick Sentinel 66/1 The quarter final draw was kind to me as only the two outsiders Droopys Trade and Slick Sentinel have been drawn in the same heat. That is Heat 4 which is super hot and the has the clear favourite and wonderdog Bockos Diamond in T5. Droopys Trade and Slick Sentinel are good trappers and they will almost certainly give the favourite some concerns heading in to bend one. The youngster Droopys Trade is improving all the time and really is a live contender. I am almost tempted to go in again on Bombay Pat as I like him a lot and he has drifted after the last set of heats. His QF draw could hardly have been kinder and he should sail through to the semis quite serenely. De Lahdedah was a big price for a reigning champion and he also has a nice QF heat to come through. He overcam a bit of late trouble in his latest heat but shrugged it off like a true champion. Cheap Sandwiches is drawn five for heat one inside the only remaining bitch, Singalong Molly, and I interested to see him in this trap as I feel he could be even better in orange rather than stripes. There is a crazy number of wide seeded runners left in the competition, 11, and this is almost certain to cause some mayhem in the remaining rounds. Not sure when the plate event gets sorted out but if he takes his place I would be very interested in Romeo Tomcat.
For anyone looking to watch the Greyhound Derby quarter finals you can find them live on the YouTube channel GONE TO THE DOGS Betting is out for the plate and I have taken 5/1 for ROMEO TOMCAT to win only.
An exciting evening yesterday with the quarter finals and the first round of the plate. QF1 was a nice stroll for CHEAP SANDWICHES despite him not trapping with his usually elan. his early pace took him to the front at bend one and from there it was plain sailing. He is now close to joint favourite but he will need to trap better in the semi. QF2 was one by another of mine in DE LAHDEDAH but it wasnt plain sailing as Churchfield Syd blasted from the boxes on his outside. It looked like a race winning start but there isnt a dog in training with better track craft than De Lahdedah and he duly chased him down and nailed him literally on the line to win a short head. QF3 my hopes pinned on BOMBAY PAT making it a treble but he had to settle for second place after Dynamic Force flew from the boxes and won in the fastest heat time of the night. Bombay Pat isnt a flashy flier but he is strong throughout the race and if the latter races get messy he is the sort of dog that will pick up the pieces. I am very happy to have him on the team. QF4 left all dog racing fans astonished. I had two in the race, DROOPYS TRADE and SLICK SENTINEL. It was a messy start on the inside and the puppy Droopys Trade found himself squeezed out, he had no chance after but ran on well. He will be of major interest in the big events next year when he has grown up and honed his trade. The action though was on the outside where Slick Sentinel left fav Bockos Diamond in his wake leaving the traps only for Bockos Diamond to hit the turbo booster and hit the front at the second bend. That move looked to have put the race to bed but the outsider Slick Sentinel was having none of it and he chased him down on the run to line with the two dog Droopys Plunge flying up the rails to head the favourite for second. One of the best heats I have ever seen especially as I have that 66/1 on Slick Sentinel. The race proved that Bockos Diamond is beatable and also that he might not actually stay every yard of the Towcester track. The semi final draw could have been kinder as I have three dogs in one heat and one in the other. Slick Sentinel drew four which is a real handicap for a wide runner. The other semi final promises to be a humdinger with kennelmates Cheap Sandwiches and Bockos Diamond meeting for the fourth time in their careers. Its time that Sarnies settled a score. I the plate ROMEO TOMCAT qualified second in his heat behind the favourite Lennies Desire but it was no mean feat as they broke the track record. I hope they avoid each other in that semi final and set up a mouthwatering plate final clash.
A mate of mine, who used to own greyhounds, backed Bockos Diamond each way at 8/1 (only has to make the final for the place part to pay out) ages ago. He also did it in a double with I Am Maximus for the Grand National so he only has the place part of that bet still running. I cannot remember what dog he had in it last year but it made the final, was well fancied but was not involved at the business end of the race. Will this year’s dog even make the last six?
Semi Final night and the favourite Bockos Diamond had a reputation to restore and boy did he do it in style. His semi final was 11 spots better than heat one, he flew the traps and cleared his kennelmate Cheap Sandwiches on the first turn and was simply not for catching. It was plain sailing for forecast thieves and that now makes it 4-0 in their personal duel. The big one to come on Saturday but if Bockos traps like that again it will be good night. However, I have seen many Derby Final favourites save their worst start for the final and who knows what will happen. Reigning champion Delahdedah won the other semi final with a come from behind performance to catch the flying pup Sole Mio with the slow starting Bombay Pat using all his expertise to qualify third. So I have three in the Final drawn 3,4 and 5 with Bockos Diamond getting his plum draw in six. The most interesting race of the night for me was the plate semi final and the rematch between Lennies Desire and Romeo Tomcat. The fav again came out on top but it was not straightforward. Lennies led up but Romeo headed him at turn three and they had a proper scrimmage on the final bend which included a bit of a head turn from Lennies Desire and it was enough to see Romeo Tomcat back off and get beaten. It wasnt fighting but it certainly looked like yellow card scrapping. The final will be an interesting match most likely between the two as the other fancied dog in heat two missed the break and was eliminated.
