Racecard Friday 18th
Towcester Puppy Derby 2020 Final Night Race Card
Towcester Puppy Derby 2020 Final Night Race Card
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Remember HANDS – FACE – SPACE
Race 1
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Lightly raced bitch for the champion trainer, good draw to work from
Talented local youngster, has improved at a rate of knots, big early pace
In with a shout on the clock, but is a big ask for her to clear Trap 2
Will need to come from off the pace, can power through late on
Rocketed from the boxes last week, more of the same required here
Yet to see the best of him, will need to brush up on his trapping
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 4 - Savana Prosecco
Race 2
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Making his debut, well drawn on the fence with improvement inevitable
Has failed to beat a rival home in three starts here, more to come
Has the speed to assert early on, will he be able to hold on close home?
Still finding her feet at Towcester, a bit to find on the clock but is scopey
Was unfancied last time out in this grade, must drive first bend better
Has experience on her side, but only her very best will do
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 3 - Unlikely Rocket
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Race 3
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
First round casualty in the Oaks at Swindon, will need to be alert early on
An impressive winner when here last, boasts a healthy strike-rate
Versatile performer, but tricky draw with a speed either side
Local in great form, not the tightest of railers draw is manageable
This represents a drop in class, has the speed to make all the running
No stranger to the winner’s enclosure here, good draw to work from
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 5 - Hardy Rebel (M)
Race 4
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Has been showing plenty of pace at Romford, the draw has been kind
Tardy exits have proved costly, zero margin for error tonight
Making Towcester debut after encouraging trials, faced with tricky draw
Got the better of Trap 2 last week, but draw could be a leveller
First visit to Towcester and is dropping back in trip, outside chance
Foreign territory out in stripes, but some lively trials and in with a shout
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 1 - Ardera Nidge
Race 5
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
A very game winner last time out, more on her plate here though
Interesting runner, has been knocking on the door at Henlow over 550m
Oaks quarter finalist open to improvement, 17 weeks out of season
Henlow raider, a fine effort to strike gold on his last appearance
Has been a magnet for trouble at Henlow, change of scenery may suit
Two recent silver medals, may have to settle for minor honours again
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 3 - Black Eyed Molly
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Race 6
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Has shaped as though this step up in trip will suit, will she stay?
Not raced since September, questions to answer on reappearance
Went in the notebook last week as an eye catcher, stepping up in trip
No stranger to six bends, but this is the furthest he has ever been
Without a win in 11 races, has been running over six bends at Henlow
Ran riot last week when leading, great chance from a great draw
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 6 - Herecomesdanny (W)
Race 7
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
One of the top locals over two bends, can handle this inside draw
Blessed with enormous pace, but favours a middle course
One of the tightest railers in training, avoiding Trap 2 is a priority
Sensational performance at Sheffield on Tuesday night, the one to beat
Has been rocketing from the traps at Henlow, more of the same required
One of the best drawn dogs on the card tonight, could go well at a price
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 4 - Sams Elle
Race 8
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Flew home last weekend, an interesting runner now back up in trip
Has been switching between two and four bends, an unknown quantity
Smart trial last week, bred to be a star stayer and will take some beating
Kept good company at Central Park, no stranger to success at Towcester
Held a strong runner at bay last week, will need to assert early to feature
Led them home in her latest effort, but this is a much warmer contest
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 3 - Savana Volcano (M)
Race 9
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Puppy Derby semi-finalist, will need to boss the inside to compete
Showed what he is capable of when last sighted, smart all-round speed
Has won on his travels at Monmore and Central Park, fancied to make all
Produce Stakes and British Breeders finalist, drawn wider than ideal
Classy Essex Vase finalist, has smart form in the book at Towcester
In-form local who has found his trapping boots, big runner well drawn
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 3 - Coolavanny Kyser
Race 10
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Landed the money last time when well supported, great draw on the rail
Has been expensive to follow for punters, this is a step up in class
Early casualty in the Oaks at Swindon, previously a winner here
A winner on Derby final night at Notts, blessed with smart early speed
Strong running bitch, fancied to pounce late and land the spoils
Champion Stakes and Gold Collar finalist, may need luck in-running
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 5 - Jaxx Purple (M)
Race 11
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Very impressive winner in the first round, great draw on the fence
Talented Irish raider, speedy but still getting to grips with Towcester
Undefeated here, well-bred sort with smart all-round speed, big chance
Fastest on the clock, if timing the start right will take all the beating
Caused an upset in heat and semi-final, will be craving an early lead
Lowered the colours of Trap 4 in semi-final, speedy lady in with a chance
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 4 - Cold As Ice (M)
Race 12
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Trap 4
Trap 5
Trap 6
Has been staying on powerfully over four bends, suited to step up in trip
Ran riot at Henlow last time out, this is tougher and will need to trap
Has smart form in the book, will need to tread carefully from this draw
Capable sort, but would prefer a draw much closer to the inside rail
Dorando Marathon winner, can bounce back to winning ways here
Will be staying on from halfway, blessed with an abundance of stamina
Clarky’s Choice:
Trap 5 - Affirmed (M)
Reserves
Puppy Derby Finalists
Puppy Derby Finalists
Trap 1 Ballydoyle Razor
Owner: Close Shave Syndicate
Trainer: Phil Barlow, Sheffield
Already a big-race winner having won the RPGTV Puppy Trophy which supported the
Derby final at Nottingham in October, Ballydoyle Razor cut a dash in the first round
here when beating Bockos Melody, who re-opposes tonight. A son of the brilliant
former stayer Fear Emoski, he is therefore a half-brother of Ireland’s Ballydoyle Valor,
an English Derby finalist. Ballydoyle Razor is owned by the Close Shave Syndicate, a
group of 11 enthusiasts put together by Richard Parkin, who will be hoping the red
jacket can work the oracle for the Yorkshire-based runner, as it did at Nottingham.
Puppy Derby Finalists
Trap 2 De Machine
Owner: Brendan Matthews
Trainer: Brendan Matthews, Ireland
The sole Irish entry has made the final, but then Brendan Matthews has previous
in this event having sent out Innocent Times to finish second to Magical Bale in the
2017 Puppy Derby final here at Towcester - he also reached the Derby semis when
the race was staged here in 2018. De Machine is a half-brother of top stayer Antigua
Fire, himself originally brought to England to run for the Matthews team in the Golden
Jacket when known as, appropriately, Towcester Story! A Shelbourne winner on debut,
De Machine aims to be a third Irish-trained Puppy Derby winner after Lenson Sanchez
(2014) and Droopys Roddick (2015).
Puppy Derby Finalists
Trap 3 Surprising
Owner: Seamus Cahill
Trainer: Seamus Cahill, Hove
The sole British-bred finalist, Surprising lines up as the youngest finalist being a
precocious June 19 whelp. He is a son of 2016 Brighton Belle champion Banabane and
related to a host of winners through grandam Ballymac Razl, who has thrown the likes
of Smallmead, Ballymac Tas, Anopheles and Ballymac Inspeed. Second on debut in A3
at Hove in October, Surprising opened his account next time out in the same grade
before winning an A2 in preparation for the Puppy Derby. A winner of both heat and
semi-final, he represents the trainer who won the Star Sports English Derby here in
2017 with Astute Missile.
Puppy Derby Finalists
Trap 4 Cold As Ice (m)
Owner: Dave Spraggon
Trainer: Jimmy Fenwick, Newcastle
Like Ballydoyle Razor a winner of his rearranged heat of the Puppy Derby after fog
claimed the last two heats two weeks ago, Cold As Ice represents the successful
Newcastle owner and trainer combination of Dave Spraggon and Jimmy Fenwick. The
pair enjoyed a momentous 2019 with Ice On Fire, the Greyhound of the Year, and
Cold As Ice is a half-brother of the now-retired champion. He made his debut in a heat
of the RPGTV Puppy Trophy at Nottingham on semi-final night of the Derby before
beating debutant Puff The Tiger in a trial stakes for this event over C&D last month. He
aims to strike an early blow here.
Puppy Derby Finalists
Trap 5 Puff The Tiger (m)
Owner: Evan Herbert
Trainer: Patrick Janssens, Central Park
Like Surprising, Puff The Tiger lines up tonight as an unbeaten finalist and one of two
representatives of champion trainer-elect Patrick Janssens. Behind Cold As Ice on
debut in a Puppy Derby trial stakes, he has progressed with all-the-way victories in
heat and semi-final and again wears the orange jacket. Patrick sent out the brilliant
Bockos Doomie to win last year’s Puppy Derby at Henlow so, along with Bockos
Melody, Puff The Tiger aims to keep the trophy at his Norfolk base. Owner Evan
Herbert has owned a number of top-class winners including Desperado Dan, Roswell
Romanov, Barricane Tiger and Seaglass Tiger.
Puppy Derby Finalists
Trap 6 Bockos Melody (m)
Owner: Bev Lochead
Trainer: Patrick Janssens, Central Park
The second Janssens-trained runner produced an impressive effort in the semis last
week when accounting for Cold As Ice. Owned by Bev Lochead, part-owner of last
year’s champion Bockos Doomie, Bockos Melody is related to Surprising through
Ballymac Razl. A daughter of Liam Dowling’s outstanding brood, the sole bitch in
tonight’s final aims to be latest in a long line of major race winners from the same
family, having made her debut at Central Park in October. Second then, she opened
her account next time and connections were eyeing an Oaks tilt - but ultimately the
Star Sports English Puppy Derby called!
Puppy Derby History
TOWCESTER is honoured once again to host the Star Sports English Puppy
Derby Final - one of greyhound racing’s most historic races.
It was back in 2017 when Magical Bale won the first and only time the Puppy
Derby was staged here and Kevin Hutton’s dog went on to reach the finals of
both the Irish and English Derbys.
However, the race has a long and distinguished history stretching back over 90
years.
First run in 1929, the Puppy Derby enjoyed the longest association with one
track of any major event in the sport’s long history with Wimbledon Stadium
very much its home until the famous Plough Lane track closed - it was even
staged during the war years.
The last Puppy Derby in south-west London took place in 2016 before Towcester
took over in 2017 and then Henlow in both 2018 (Argentina) and 2019 (Bockos
Doomie).
The Puppy Derby has always been a stepping stone to the Derby and, in recent
years, the likes of Droopys Roddick (2015) for Ireland’s Pat Buckley and the
aforementioned Magical Bale have gone close to winning both. Roddick finished
runner-up in 2016, while Bale finished second in the 2018 Irish Derby and made
the final of the 2019 English Derby.
Bitch winners of the Puppy Derby have also included a host of champions and,
in Paddy Fortune’s 1952 heroine Lizette the event boasts a dual winner (1953 &
1955) of the Oaks, the bitches’ Classic. Sarah Dee also went on to win the Oaks
at Wimbledon in 1998 having landed the Puppy Derby earlier that year.
Puppy Derby History
Since 1990 bitch winners of the Puppy Derby have been Corpo Election (1995),
Sarah Dee (1998), Bringinthemoney (2001), Olybean (2004), Droopys Lomasi
(2005) and Bubbly Beauty (2013) - so Bockos Melody will continue a tremendous
modern-day record for the fairer sex in the competition should she triumph
tonight.
The most successful Puppy Derby-winning trainer is Wembley trainer Jack
Harvey with four wins from 1949 to 1954, while Joe Harmon, Stanley Biss,
Paddy Fortune, Dennis Hannafin and former Greyhound Trainers’ Association
chairman Paddy Milligan have three apiece - Milligan emulated Harvey’s record
of three-in-a-row from 1972-1974.
Mention must be made of Nick and Natalie Savva.
The husband and wife team of the famed Westmead Kennels in Dunstable, have
four Puppy Derby wins between them with Natalie Savva credited with 1981
winner Special Account and her husband weighing in with Right Move (1991),
Sarah Dee (1998) and Westmead Logan (2009).
Ireland have two Puppy Derby wins courtesy of the Pat Buckley-trained pair of
Lenson Sanchez (2014) and Droopys Roddick (2015), so tonight the Brendan
Matthews-owned and trained De Machine aims to make it three victories in
seven years for the Emerald Isle.
Incidentally, Brendan sent out Innocent Times to finish second to Magical Bale
here in 2017 - the winner being the first of back-to-back Puppy Derby wins for
Kevin Hutton given Argentina’s success a year later at Henlow.
Patrick Janssens will shortly be crowned the new champion trainer and has two
chances tonight - Puff The Tiger and Bockos Melody - to repeat his victory 12
months ago with Bockos Doomie, while welcome back to Seamus Cahill.
Seamus, who fields youngest finalist Surprising, created history here at
Towcester in 2017 when his Astute Missile famously won the Star Sports English
Derby, the first of two Derbys staged here
Yorkshire is represented tonight by Phil Barlow’s Ballydoyle Razor, while Cold As
Ice is a half-brother of Greyhound of the Year Ice On Fire for the same trainer
and owner combination of Jimmy Fenwick and Dave Spraggon.
Good luck to connections of all tonight’s finalists and our sincere thanks to Ben
Keith and Star Sports for their support and sponsorship.
TOWCESTER RACECOURSE, LONDON ROAD, TOWCESTER, NN12 6LB