General / Darrell Williams / 22 October 2009 / Leave a comment

After a first Derby with Kinda Ready, could brother 'Easy' re-write the record books for Mark Wallis in the Leger?

'Kinda Easy, runner-up in all three rounds, had too much to do to catch lid pinging Fraziers Clone in the semi-final, but a return to trap six as the sole wide seed makes him one of the more likely winners.

Having secured his first Derby success when Kinda Ready got up in the most dramatic of finishes in early summer, champion trainer Mark Wallis now has two chances to add a first St Leger - the most significant of the sport's staying prizes - to his ever growing haul of big races.

And surely if it's Kinda Easy, litter brother of the Derby winner, that secures the prize, the history books will need re-writing. Only three dogs have ever won both races anyway, with the legendary Mick The Miller claiming the 1931 Leger - he had been beaten in a re-run in the same year's Derby, having won the original heat - but had won the race in the previous two years. Dolores Rocket in 1971 and Tartan Khan four years later are the only greyhounds to have won both the Derby and Leger in the same season.

Wallis, who also runs Droopys Zach, obviously has a strong hand in the event - live on Sky Sports from Wimbledon on Tuesday evening - but predicting the outcome of the race is anything but easy, especially given the huge number of fancied runners already eliminated. 2008 runner-up Midway Skipper was an early casualty along with Flying Winner, while Wallis' own Corrig Vieri exited at the second round, before a missed break cost Crown Rover his chance in the semi-final.

Of Wallis' pair, Droopys Zach is the only greyhound to have won two rounds - only a head defeat to Seamies Gambler preventing him from remaining unbeaten. His class shone through in the semi-final, and he's undoubtedly on top of his form, but given the open nature of the final there's definitely an argument for laying him at far from attractive odds.

Kinda Easy, runner-up in all three rounds, had too much to do to catch lid pinging Fraziers Clone in the semi-final, but a return to trap six as the sole wide seed makes him one of the more likely winners in my view.

This column's ante post hopes rest on Lorrys Options, already the winner of two major prizes this season, the Golden Jacket and Regency, and while he only just scraped through the other night, I still believe he's over-priced, especially if judged on his eye-catching second round win, and with Tuesday's race only his fifth since returning from injury, further improvement is certainly not out of the question.

Veteran trainer Nick Savva with three recent Derby victories, not to mention a Puppy Derby the other month, has been no stranger to Wimbledon big race success, and bids for a fourth St Leger crown with Westmead Wings, Likely to lead the inside runners, he surrendered a huge lead in his semi-final, but could prove an interesting back to lay option for in-running punters.

Fraziers Clone, could not have started any sharper in his semi-final, and while another rapid exit looks a necessity, Bill Black's previously unconsidered runner is another that might have been under-estimated by the layers at double-figure odds.

Bitches have certainly enjoyed their share of success, with four victories (one subsequently disqualified) in the ten running's since the race moved to Wimbledon in 1999 and the fairer sex rely on Swift Messenger, whose connections must have been jumping for joy when the tight railer drew trap one in one of the most intriguing renewals of the Classic for many a year.

Tags: Kinda Ready Droopys Zach Swift Messenger Fraziers Clone Westmead Wings Lorrys Options Wimbledon St Leger