Betfair Official Blog

Spate of Wimbledon collisions was surely just coincidence

Click here to view market

Wimbledon commentator Darrell Williams looks back to an accident-laden night and looks ahead to this weekend's racing

Two void races and a spate of fallers left Wimbledon racegoers stunned last Friday evening. Incidents will always occur and it may well be that the track was just unlucky to endure so many problems in one hit.

The first void race came after the hare was stopped in the interest of safety when Opening Bell, an Apr 06 puppy having just her second race, collided with the rail at the first bend, before turning and coming back head-on in the direction of the chasing pack. Three fallers in two races midway through the evening - Ballymac Raymond fell and brought down Streetsavenoname in the A3, before Blue Resistor came down in the next race (A4) - both occurred at the first bend, but it would be folly to suggest, on this evidence alone, it was anymore than just bad fortune.

The need to void the later A2 was an altogether different situation with the stewards citing the late opening of the traps as the reason for the nullification. Certainly in calling the race I was under the impression the traps had opened a fraction late, causing at least two of the greyhounds to miss time their starts.

For punters it was a bitter pill to take as well backed Larkhill Dipper had 'won' the race. Compensation however should await this Saturday when he faces an almost identical field in the A2 at 22:15.

The defeat of Side Leg, undoubtedly the leading four bend performer at the track, was made to look all the more dramatic given the SP of the winner, with Atlanta Dubh coming home a shock 33/1 winner in the feature A1. Norah Mc Ellistrim's charge has now jumped from A5 to scoring in the top grade inside five races after a period over hurdles - probably the best example ever of a greyhound improving for a spell jumping! While he's obviously hard to overlook at the moment, I do fear for an inside speed duel, given Banter's draw next door in Saturday's A1 (20:30), allowing Talkspot, pulled out of a race last week, to exploit a perfect draw outside five non-seeded rivals.

Roquefort Addson is a bitch on the up - I was especially taken by her middle pace last weekend - and is taken to follow up in a weak A1 on Saturday (22:00). The H1 looks wide open - it's almost been a case of whose turn is it next recently - but I take Amazing Aces to benefit from a perfect draw in trap six to capture the spoils.

Friday's A1 (21:45) is hard to fathom, although if Droopys Kiowa, still on the upgrade after season, can avoid Next Goal on the run to the bend, she would probably take the beating.

For those interested, Wimbledon stages a greyhound sale this coming Wednesday morning (September 5th) with upwards of 60 lots on offer.