Greyhound racing betting: Blonde Dino set for a great end to campaign

General / Jonathan Hobbs / 23 June 2008 / Leave a Comment

The John Mullins' camp go into Sunderland high on confidence says Jonathan Hobbs.

t was great to see Boherbradda Mac come through a fantastic, high-quality Scurry Gold Cup at Perry Barr last week.

He always looked a top-class hound in the making late last year, indeed made the Dogs to Follow list in the greyhound annual, but it was the decision to keep him to sprinting that worked the oracle for Harry Williams' dog. Harry's decision ultimately led him to landing the kennel a second Scurry in the space of a few years.
Having said that, second and third-placed greyhounds Horseshoe Ping and Blonde Jet also ran with great credit and, while neither is the right side of two years old, both of these seasoned open-race campaigners still have plenty to offer and plenty of wins left in them.

So, too, clearly does the John Mullins camp who go into the Sunderland campaign, and the second UK Festival of Racing, with serious claims of outright victory in any of the major events. In Blonde Dino, they also have a potential winner of the Dundalk International.

Dino's track record underlines his great form of late and franks the form of the Derby, having finished third to Loyal Honcho in the final three weeks ago. He looks set for a great end to the campaign after being steadily brought back from injury. Indeed connections have argued that the Derby might have come just too soon. What might have been . . .

Behind Blonde Dino was a greyhound called Coolbeggan Flash. The Perry Barr dog ran a cracker in defeat and, while no match for the winner, should be followed in future contests. He was having only his third run in the country for Lynn Cook and has a litter brother of a crack Irish bitch called Another Issue.

Hard luck stories always abound in hurdles races, but Nevada Blue really was unlucky when failing to get up in the race won by Kildare Lark, who was handed a chance of victory by Sawpit Samurai. The latter should have won comfortably and is still difficult to ignore in whichever race he runs in.

Killough Belles was a terrific winner of the bitches' race and looks a really nice type. She heads for Doncaster next and her ideal mix of speed and stamina saw her out-gun Blonde Jeannie, although the latter, while not getting any younger, retains great early zip and trapping ability. Perhaps a shorter four bends can see her return to winning ways.

Selecta Moon was the eye-catcher in behind Swift Maybole and Olygirl over 710m and, if anything, more of a stamina test is required where Chris Allsopp's bitch is concerned. She is only lightly-raced and will be given more time for sure before being stepped further, but she is an interesting marathon prospect perhaps.

Shaneboy Luke and Farloe Hurricane both went into the notebook behind Risk Related, the former only having his third race since a switch from Ireland, while the latter made an encouraging return from injury and led fellow early-pacers comfortably.