Greyhounds Betting: Saturday Arc semi-final preview

Events / Darrell Williams / 13 February 2009 / Leave a Comment

Darrell Williams wonders whether the form will stand up as the dogs bid for a place in next Thursday's Arc final at Swindon.

Swindon's first staging of the Arc has been most memorable for its battles against the elements, with the second round cancelled twice before it was eventually staged on Wednesday on a track running 1.4 seconds slow.

With an influx of trap one winners also in the first round, quite whether the form will stand up is open to plenty of debate. But by hook or by crook, ante post favourite, and this column's original long term selection, Shaneboy Luke is still in there battling ahead of Saturday's semi-finals. The final, live on Sky Sports, remember has been delayed until next Thursday - an excellent piece of work by all concerned - to ensure the dogs are given ample recovery time.

Shaneboy Luke has drawn by far the toughest of the two semi-finals (8.35), but while the competition has thrown up its share of surprises, he should at least qualify, probably alongside other market principals Lenson Express and Droopys Carvalho, although quite in what order is less easy to predict.

Liz Mc Nair's runner earned his ante post price with a very fast and highly impressive defeat of Droopys Carvalho in a pre-event trial stakes, but has been less impressive in the two rounds to date. His first round winning time was moderate, and he did well to scrape through the other night after an incident at a trouble strewn first bend.

Of the three runners, I actually fancy Droopys Carvalho the least, even though he's won both of his heats so far - taking full advantage of the trouble to shoot past Shaneboy Luke and co the other night. If he breaks as slowly again however, he may not enjoy such good fortunes a second time.

After his first round win, and given it was his first start for three months, Lenson Express looked a big player outright, and while he was beaten three lengths by Driving Up Pal on Wednesday, that might turn out to be pretty useful form as the winner was having only his second look at the circuit, having not trailed prior to the first round. In a tough heat, I'd suggest backing Lenson Express, saving on Shaneboy Luke and laying Droopys Carvalho.

The other semi-final (9.05) looks less complex, although while Corrig Vieri is, without doubt, the most likely winner, I'd also want Driving Up Pal on my side, as outlined above. I'm still regretting not putting up the former at the start of the event - he was certainly considered, and at least tipped up successfully in both the first and second rounds.

His trainer Mark Wallis certainly rates him, and given his three month lay-off prior to this competition, you'd have to believe there's plenty more to come. While his outright price has further contracted after clocking the fastest time in the second round - although remember it was a four dog affair - [4.6] outright remains a fair shout and he really should win again. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend a saver on Driving Up Pal for the semi-final in the believe that form will hold good.