Greyhound Betting: Blonde Dino is there for the taking

Events / Darrell Williams / 30 August 2008 / Leave a comment

tells us why superstar dog Blonde Dino can be beaten in Sheffield on Tuesday night, plus the best of the rest from all the action

Barrie Draper, not so long ago a contracted trainer at the track, has a strong hand in the William Hill Steel City Cup over 500 metres at Sheffield with a quarter of the 16-runners in Tuesday's semi-finals.

The Rotherham trainer left Sheffield earlier this year to chase the big races on the open circuit. It was a move that was always going to bear fruit given the strength of depth in Draper's kennels and rare for a blue chip contest not to have one of his runners still there at the business end.

Boherna On Air, last year's Steel City Cup winner, headlines the Draper quartet. He made a successful start to his defence in Tuesday's first round qualifiers and has a cracking chance of making it two on the bounce in the third semi-final at 9.02pm.

The black son Kiowa Sweet Trey starts from trap four but alongside him in three is Rev Counter, the dog that got the closest to Boherna On Air and a dog that went on to land the prestigious Eclipse at Nottingham.

The pair are extremely closely matched but given their respective heat efforts and Tuesday's draw Rev Counter, trained at Monmore by Chris Allsopp, gets my vote to land the spoils with Boherna On Air a very close second.

Blonde Dino, the English Derby third and Dundalk International winner, has Charlie Lister's Affleck Elite a neck behind when the pair met in the first round. It was a typically stout performance to score from John Mullins' dog but there was a lot to like about the performance of the runner-up.

The pair meet in the first semi-final at 8.31 and I fancy Affleck Elite, drawn in trap two, can gain revenge. Drawn in trap two, this dog is fast and strong and with a clear run has the gears to turnover Blonde Dino.

Barrie Draper is doubly represented by Cats My Boy and Farloe Niall in the second semi final, a particularly competitive affair. Others involved include the Julie Bateson-trained Drive On Captain and Elaine Parker's extremely talented Droopys Sheeny, the probable leader.

There are [plenty with chances in this contest but my vote goes Drapers Farloe Niall. Who can stay on to the spoils ahead of Droopys Sheehy.