Greyhounds Big Race Focus: The Puppy Derby

General / Darrell Williams / 30 July 2009 / Leave a Comment

"This year’s renewal looks especially high class, with Charlie Lister’s Farloe Lee and Farloe Razl heading the market, for a race the Newark maestro has surprisingly never won."

In a new addition to the new look Betting.Betfair greyhounds pages, Darrell Williams looks back at the history of a big race and assesses the market for this year's renewal. This week he runs the rule over the Puppy Derby which starts on Saturday at Wimbledon...

Puppy competitions are in the ascendency these days as tracks fight to attract the stars of tomorrow, with the current illogical clash between Wimbledon and Henlow a perfect example. Thankfully, Wimbledon's Puppy Derby has attracted a high class line-up, which is the way it should be as the race first staged at the same track in 1929 has the longest continuous run of any major competition at one venue as it celebrates its eightieth anniversary.

First won by the Jim Syder trained So Green, who kept punters happy as the 6/4 favourite, surprisingly only once has the winner gone on to Derby success, when the Denis Hannafin trained Ford Spartan claimed the double in 1956/7, although in 1998 Sarah Dee did achieve the Puppy Derby/Oaks double.

For those searching for 'trends', the race offers little help, with Nick Savva, Sarah Dee's handler, (1991 and 1998) and Tony Meek (1990 and 1993) the only trainers to have won the race twice in the last twenty years. Savva's Westmead Logan, unraced since early May, but the joint holder of the Peterborough track-record looks his best hope this time, particularly as he has bypassed the Henlow equivalent to race here.

No trap number has dominated either in recent finals, indeed the last six runnings have each gone once to the six different traps, with no box scoring more than three times since 1994. Favourites have had their moments in recent years, with last year's winner Jesters Nap one of the three 'jollies' and one joint-favourite to have won in the last decade, but conversely recent runnings have also thrown up a 25/1 winner in Bringmethemoney in 2001 and more recently 12/1 scorer Droopys Lomasi four years ago.

Bernie Doyle provided a first local winner since the success of high class Micks Lotto (1999) with Opening Artist two years ago, and while the Wimbledon based runners look up against it this time, Richard Rees' Exciting Ant (8.34) is a big price for a potential back to lay wager from an excellent make up. Both Rees' father and grand-father won the race, the latter with perhaps the competition's best winner ever in Oregon Prince in 1960.

What is apparent is that the standard of winners in recent runnings has been extremely high, with Jesters Nap last year the fourth sub 2760 winner in the past six years, with Olybean clocking the fastest 'metric' winning time of 2747 five years ago.

This year's renewal looks especially high class, with Charlie Lister's Farloe Lee and Farloe Razl heading the market, for a race the Newark maestro has surprisingly never won. Both have been drawn in tough heats, although 'Lee' looks well berthed (9.24) and should comfortably qualify, while 'Razl' (9.07) although needing to improve on his trial should also come through easily enough. However, at the prices they make only limited ante post appeal.

Lethal Ace (8.51) is my main outright choice. Seamus Cahill's runner has already proved himself with an excellent 2761 over the CD earlier in the month, while a trial last week suggests he remains spot on, and should be backed accordingly.

I'd also suggest an ante-post wager on Lenson Bolt, who ran an excellent race in defeat on his debut at Newcaslte last month, and has posted a brace of decent trials for Tony Collett, who rates the youngster extremely highly.