Well the Lolly faithtful are in for a treat tonight at Nottingham as they go to traps with two runners in the final of the Eclipse. With both Sawpit Sensation and Farloe Tango advised each-way for a few doggie treats then just a top 4 finish for either will get me barking from the rooftops (if I can work out how to climb)! I will certainly be running round in a circle and wagging my tail furiously if either of them are close at the third bend and I will give a more detailed appreciation of the race later in the dog blog. Besides that, we have a competitive card and as ever at Nottingham, remember that Charlie Lister uses this track to school his puppies in the early stages of their career so they will all know the track inside out, regardless of what the form may tell you to the contrary! Here are a dog’s thoughts on the racing with some nice prices for the value-hunters club, for which I am a member of:

7:40 – 500m

The youngsters kick us off and it has not been made any easier for the little tykes in the fact that it is an all-railer field. The possibility of trouble looks more certain than Rylan appearing on The Only Way is Essex (and you thought I wasn’t a fan of Saturday Night T.V. from my sofa!) and so the likely winner is the pup that leads for me. Therefore, the call is to side with Farley Seymour to overcome the stripes and attack the first bend and pinch an unassailable lead. The obvious danger is the strong Teejays Bluehawk but he normally has to overtake the whole field and against youngsters it will be no easy feat and his draw in trap 5 adds further claims to Seymour having a good draw to work from. Romeo Hi Rumble is progressive but again leaves himself too much to do for me with so many railers likely to be in front of him.

8:00 – 480m

Whilst times can often be misleading due to questionable going allowances, the fact that Bit View Micko is the recent track-record holder shows he has enough pace to pick these up. Indeed, Droopys Vito recently returned from a lengthy lay-off and whilst he is respected and does have a good draw, he hasn’t had a run round Nottingham (although normally not a huge negative) and will be running mid-to-wide which would give Micko room to exploit on the inside. Boher Chieftain is a dog that is ignored at your peril but has shown that he is uncomfortable with dogs being too close to him on the inside and the fact he struggles to fully get the 480m (a fact Lister has recognised) means that if Micko is close to him, he may just run out of legs. The worry could be Final McCoy who has his moments of blistering pace but is far too inconsistent to consider a selection on a regular basis, and is rather feared than backed in races.

8:15 – 500m

The lads line-up in this affair and despite my annoyance at not being able to get my doggie treats on a bet with most firms, I have managed to get a few of my beloved chewstix on Romeo Recruit in this one. Yes, he was disappointing in the Eclipse but is far more suited to a middle-berth (which he was denied the luxury of in the Semis) and Longwood Fantasy is one of the most overrated dogs in training for me. Fantasy is undoubtedly one of the fastest of my colleagues around but he wins too few for his pace and tends to go down as an “unlucky-second” too much for my liking considering the shortness of his price. The fact his trapping is often awry will play further into the hands of Recruit who dominated the Produce Stakes round here with consummate ease (I may have been reading a dictionary in my retirement!). Killieford Khali is a progressive Lister youngster and mustn’t be discounted but he would prefer to be in 6 and the fact he likes to cut the bend may put the end to his chances with Recruit likely to be there as a powerful force on his inside. If that is the case and Recruit turns in front, this race will be Romeo done.

8:35 – 305m

It’s amazing how many top class sprinters have appeared since I hung up my collar (maybe they were too intimidated to leave their kennel) and in this race we have two who are worthy of my former crown of Sprinter of the Year. From a sprinter’s perspective, I prefer Jumeirah Dubai as he is more of a known quantity than Drumna Ice and with the latter not having his best draw in 4 (being a wide runner who has also not had a trial round here) would mean any mistakes from Ice and Dubai will be away-and-gone. Before I receive tons of angry letters through my kennel box citing my hypocritical approach to Lister’s runner here, Ice was a late purchase for the trainer from Ireland and so will not have the normal experience of his runners around here. Whack Wallop is no mug and Fridays Dynamo has pace which could also further hinder Ice on the outside. If Dubai wins, my doggie double will have come in (with Recruit) and I will be off to the U.A.E myself (although I’ll definitely be a hot dog over there!).

8:50 – 905m

Just when I thought these maniac marathon performers couldn’t run any longer, they are now running over 905m: absurd! Anyways, one bitch who definitely gets this distance and can foil a gamble on Aero Rebel is Tyrur Pudsy (“he’s finally picked a Lister dog”, I hear you cry!). These marathons are always tough to call these days without a dependable superstar but these two look a slightly different class to the field and although Rebel flew round over 6 bends here, she will be crying out for the line from what I have seen. This is an extreme distance and although Pudsy is definitely one-paced, her one-pace goes on forever and she can pick up these, even if Rebel is miles clear. Indeed, after he recent exertions on Children In Need, it would be fitting for Pudsy to continue her winning streak after her T.V. appearance (I really do need to get out more don’t I? Don’t answer that! :P).

9:10 – 500m

With the six-bend race failing to fill it is the turn of the ladies here and who doesn’t like a bitches race? I, for one, will be glued to the television! Farloe Elektra would have been one of those hopefuls in the binned stayers race and she will be a handful if turning close, but she is not known for overtaking and over this distance she may not be allowed the luxury of the lead. The bitch that looks set to get back to winning ways for me is Ballymac Floreck who has been disappointing of late, but has a tinge of class and should have enough room if she does indeed move slightly middle from the blue box. The unknown entity of Calzaghe Naomi cannot be ignored but it will be tough for her in her first race against five of the fairer sex and she is best watched for now, hopefully not at the front galloping away! The other danger is Salacres Gem, but as her litter-brothers share the same problem as her in not wanting to overtake and go-on away from the field if it is close (see Meadow Bank Owl and Excellent Boy for examples), I think that she is best swerved in open class. The fact Gem fails to have a diamond draw as a railer doesn’t bode well for the bitch either (does that pun work? Answers posted to my kennel box).

9:25 – 500m

This is a very competitive race but the three standout contenders can be seperated when considering their draws. Bold Three was very assertive in his win last week but that was third time lucky for him (ironic hey?) since a lay-off and he can’t be trusted to produce a run like that time-and-time again. His presence means that Newmarket Flyway isn’t likely to get his own way throughout the race which he often needs due to his back-running style but he of course wins if he is close to the likely leader: Tyrur Willyjoe. Willyjoe came to these shores with a decent reputation in Ireland but took time to find his paws. Now, he is showing signs of a gutsy front-runner who chases the bunny with great desire (I know how he feels!) and tonight is the night he is expected to really come-of-age for me. A great run round the outside can land this one for Willy.

9:45 – 500m

Another “Willie” is fancied to win the Eclipse and send the Lolly faithful to bed very happy: Sawpit Sensation. This race has more connotations than one cares to think of but whatever the outcome of the inside 5, Sensation is set for a solo out-wide and you ignore this dog at you’re peril (ask my colleagues in Ireland about their Derby efforts against him!). He has finished outside the top 3 in one of his last twenty-seven starts (he sounds like me!) and he will run through a brick wall for you and will not give in. Whilst the inside dogs are likely to be scrimmaging (unless Taylors Sky or Hather George get an absolute flier), this will pave the way for Sensation to produce a sensational turn of foot down the back-straight. The dog blog followers are on Farloe Tango as well and with all of his quirks, he could destroy this field if he feels like it (maybe I need to have a bark with him) but the fact that Sky and Paddy are likely to get in each other’s way, and George is probably not quick enough to beat all of these without ridiculous trouble, watch out for Sensation. He will be coming for you!

So there are a dog’s thoughts on the proceedings tonight on what could be a very prosperous night for the Lolly faithful in terms of food for the next few weeks/months/years (dependent on steaks placed of course!). As ever please tweet or comment if you have any thoughts on my opinions but I must warn you I am a bit sensitive after some tough news about one of my hobbies today. During my retirement I have enjoyed a round of golf and it is a sad day for me with the news that belly-putters are set to be banned (I struggle to grip the short putter with my paws) and so whilst my scores on golf tracks is likely to shoot through the roof, my score on dog tracks will increase dramatically with a Sensational win tonight. Go get them Sawpit!

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy